Resound
by Heliotropium
Summary: They weren't related by blood, but Lloyd and Luke Irving were close enough.
1. Prelude

Author Notes: I suppose you can call this an Abyss crossover, but since the word crossover creates expectations, I kinda want this to just stay a Symphonia fic. If it comes to having equal parts Abyss and Symphonia, I'll toss it in the crossovers bin.

Disclaimer: Everything Tales of related is property of Namco-Bandai, even if they treat their fanbase like dreck.

* * *

><p>To say Dirk was one stressed dwarf was an understatement. It wasn't over being one of the few dwarves living above ground. It wasn't because he chose to dwell close to a town whose major was a discriminating bigot who managed to insult him when begging for the dwarf's help.<p>

Dirk sighed, breathing in the disappointingly short silence.

"Three, two, one…"

As he finished his countdown, he could hear their voices, from practically a mile away. He had hoped that one would grow up to be the quiet one, but fate had a sick sense of humor and alas, both of his sons grew up to be loudmouths. Reckless loudmouths at that. When they were younger, they had a nasty habit of breaking everything they could get their hands on, intentional or not. Those were the most trying days, but eventually they grew out of that habit and even learned to repair all the damage they had done. It was almost a shame they weren't actually brothers, but Lloyd and Luke were close enough.

He could hear their laughter now. Lloyd was the one telling the joke this time, because he could hear Luke's laugh, spaced by heaving breathing. They settled down once they got to the door, signaling Dirk to stand to greet them.

"We're home, Dad!" Luke greeted cheerfully.

"Welcome home, boys." Dirk said, nodding. "How was your day?"

On cue, the two prattled on as the dwarf resumed his work. He grunted and nodded, acknowledging that he heard them, and often laughed at their antics and teasing. When they were done summing up their day, finishing their last pokes and jabs, Dirk shooed them off to do the homework he knew they weren't going to do. Luke did put in the effort to start, but got lazy in the middle and started scribbling in an attempt to convince their teacher that it was just his handwriting. Lloyd rarely ever bothered, always counting on his best friend Genis to help him out in the morning.

Once they were "done" with homework, they headed outside to talk to Lloyd's mother's grave and spar. It was strange. They both referred to her as "mom", but whenever they spoke about her, Luke called her "Lloyd's mom". He seemed to make it a point that she was Lloyd's blood mother. Dirk saw no discomfort in the redhead's behavior however, and eventually accepted it.

The sound of wooden sticks hitting each other filled air, along with the crackling hearth and harsh, banging metal that accompanied blacksmithing. The noise of tools eventually changed to the noise of pots and pans in the kitchen while the wooden sticks continued to clunk against each other. The two were not to be trusted at the stove unsupervised. Lloyd proved to be a decent chef unless the recipe called for tomatoes, but with Luke with him, the brunet often became distracted, a deadly state in the kitchen. Luke, on the other hand, was well on his way to become a chef that would make even the mythical Wonder Chef cry tears of pure anguish. Luckily for Dirk and his limited cooking skills, Lloyd wasn't too much of a picky eater. Luke was however the boy was grateful enough to not complain about anything but fish, just like Lloyd was entitled to voice his grief over tomatoes.

Life grew simple enough once again when Dirk grew used to caring for the two boys, a peace he wanted to keep forever. But the dwarf knew that peace would never stay. Lloyd and Luke seemed to know unconsciously and were preparing for something. It wasn't until that day Dirk realized what would be the catalyst for a great change in their life.

* * *

><p>Luke glanced at Lloyd from the corner of his eye and smiled a little. <em>'Heh, asleep while standing. Nice.'<em> He thought to himself, and pretended to read in the book spread out on the desk in front of him. His head remained in place, not even drooping while a neutral expression resided his face. Unfortunately, Raine read straight through both of them and nailed them with chalkboard erasers.

"Ow!"

"Hey!"

"Honestly you two," Raine chastised. "You're not going to learn anything if you just sleep in class."

The rest of Raine's lecture was cut off by a blinding light invading the entire classroom. The oracle was here.

"Everyone, settle down." She said over the sea of small voices.

"That was the oracle, wasn't it?" Luke exclaimed, instantly negating the calm the teacher attempted to reinstall.

"Settle down." Raine said more firmly. "I'm going out to check." She looked at Luke and Lloyd and sighed. "Just stay here and study." As soon as she left, twin grins sneaked on a certain pair's faces. The two got up and began to saunter over to the exit.

"Lloyd! Luke! Where are you two going?" Genis cried out in protest. He already knew the answer, but asking gave him hope that they would listen this time. "Raine'll get mad if you leave!"

"She's already mad at us, it's not like this'll make a difference." Luke waved off.

"Besides, I'm kinda curious about what's going to happen to Colette when the oracle comes today." Lloyd quickly interjected. "The books don't really talk about all the details."

"Did you even read one?" Genis asked suspiciously. Lloyd scowled at his tiny friend.

"They make it seem so boring." Luke whined. "Isn't there that one saying? It's better to experience it firsthand, as a part of research. And it's not like we get to see these kinds of things every day, so we should take advantage!"

"You're totally abusing that excuse…"

"Colette, you wanted to go right?" Lloyd brought up, to which the girl quickly nodded.

"Fine." Genis sighed, giving into his best friend's whims.

"So, where to?" Colette asked innocently. Luke and Genis gave each other a look, and sighed together.

* * *

><p>It seemed that going to the temple had been the right choice at the time. Desians were attacking, killing the pastors and priests inside. Fortunately, the four school children made it in time long enough to distract them from killing Phaidra. Unfortunately, that meant that Vidarr's attention was focused on smashing them into bloody pancakes.<p>

"Damn it, this guy's way too strong!" Luke cursed. He sent a Fang Blade at the man, but it didn't even make him flinch. Vidarr continued his assault, this time aiming to kill Lloyd. The impossibly large ball and chain swung around and hurtled towards the red clad brunet, but never made its target. At the very last moment, a strange man stepped in and deflected the attack. Luke took the opportunity to scramble over to Lloyd's side. The man regarded them momentarily and immediately went for the attack. In what seemed to be a flash to the boys, he defeated Vidarr with ease. The two Irvings stared at him in shock, ignoring the retreating Desians.

"That guy's amazing!" Genis exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Luke muttered. He glanced over to his brother. Lloyd was still gawking at the man, but with a strange expression Luke had never seen. He looked back at the man. He was certainly handsome, with auburn hair and a strange fashion sense. Seriously, who wore purple spandex with a cape? But the man's mentally scaring outfit was hardly enough to warrant the kind of face Lloyd was making. He never looked at the adults like that, but Luke knew what Lloyd's infatuation face looked like, and it was most definitely not it. He couldn't hear what Lloyd asked him, but it didn't seem important since he ignored him.

"How can I ever thank you for saving the Chosen?" Phaidra said, breaking Luke from his trance. He didn't even notice the older woman approaching them.

"…I see. So this girl is the next Chosen." The man spoke. His voice was unusually deep for a man his age, but Luke figured he was probably older than he thought. As if his words reminded her, Colette began to fret. Luke didn't pay attention, choosing to focus on the strange man.

"W—Wait! I'm going too!"

Luke's concentration was once again broken, this time by Lloyd's loud interjection.

"Yeah, if he's going, I'm going too!" He hastily joined in. Lloyd beamed at him. The man, Kratos if Luke was listening correctly, Crotch-toast if Luke couldn't stop staring at what the spandex refused to hide, narrowed his eyes.

"You'll only get in the way. Be good boys and wait here."

"What did you say!" Luke decided he didn't like Kratos, but Lloyd only grinned.

"Gotcha!" He said, clamping a hand over the redhead's mouth. "Then we'll just follow you on our own. Isn't that right, Luke?" His brother glared at him, but nodded. Lloyd removed his hand and grinned at Kratos, while Luke forced a smile. The man sighed in defeat.

"Fine, do as you wish."

"Oh we will."

"Let's go, Genis!"

"Honestly, I can't tell which of you is the bad influence for the other."

The grins on the Irving brothers' faces never disappeared. "I don't know what you mean."

* * *

><p>They ran into several monsters had been in the temple, giving Luke an excuse to watch Kratos. The mercenary was aloof between battles, but was keeping a close eye on Lloyd. Whenever Lloyd accidentally left himself open, Kratos immediately covered him. He rarely did so for even Colette, which the white clad redhead found very odd. Eventually, they made it up to the altar and the thought escaped Luke.<p>

"That must be the Cruxis Crystal." Lloyd commented.

"That's right. They say I was born with that in my hand." Colette said.

"Look at that light!"

Before he could look, Luke's head began to pound. An angel descended from the light, and the closer he came, the worse the headache was. Lloyd quietly shuffled over to his side

"Luke?" He whispered, making sure not to disturb the ceremony.

"I'm fine Lloyd." Luke whispered back, giving a weak smile. Lloyd frowned a little, sliding an arm around Luke and held him up. "…Thanks." He tried to listen to the angel, but the loud ringing in his ears canceled out all other sounds. The ringing turned into small and even reverberations.

"—seal. My daughter."

Just as soon as it came, the headache and ringing disappeared. Luke blinked. Where did that angel guy go? He heard Genis' voice, but couldn't hear his words.

"I can't believe Remiel is my father…" He heard Colette say, but the rest became noise. Remiel? He saw Kratos and Colette proceed back to the warp. He tried to follow, but his feet wouldn't move.

"The rumor was true." He clearly heard Genis say.

"What rumor?" Lloyd asked.

"That Colette is the daughter of an angel and is not related to her current father."

Luke did hear those rumors, but never really thought too much about it. After all, he knew he wasn't related to Lloyd by blood.

"Does it really matter?" He said, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, family is family, even if you're not related by blood." Lloyd added.

"Like Lloyd and me."

"I guess you're right." Genis said. He scratched the side of his cheek sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Lloyd clasped a hand on Genis' back rather hard. Luke winced at the sound. The fact Genis stumbled over a few steps didn't help. "Luke." Here came the worried questions. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Now that you mention it, you look a little sick, Luke!"

"I'm fine, really." Genis stared at Luke dubiously. He could practically see the cogs turning around in the half-elf's head, and coughed. He must have realized the headaches started when that angel guy came down. "It was just a little headache."

"I've never seen you with a headache like that before." Lloyd pointed out.

"Let's just go before Professor Sage finds us."

* * *

><p>But their efforts to sneak out were for naught. The said teacher was not pleased that they sneaked out of the classroom and proceeded to administer punishment of the corporeal variety. They were only spared additional homework when Luke decided to play his headache out a little longer. He made a hasty escape outside, ignoring the crazed laugh behind him, which Genis seemed almost thankful for. When they reached Iselia, Luke excused himself and headed to the gates.<p>

"Luke!" A guard barked. "Do something about this thing!"

Luke raised an eyebrow, but saw what the guards were fussing over.

"You stupid Thing!" he laughed, walking over to placate Noishe. "How many times has Lloyd told you to stay outside the village? Not that I blame you, I don't even listen to him." Luke rested his head against the "dog's" neck, who whined loudly.

"Keep your pet outside next time!" The guard grumbled, but was satisfied that the unusually large creature was no longer trying to enter the village. He said something else, but Luke ignored him in favor of untangling knots in Noishe's fur. He was never particularly fond of animals, but found Noishe strangely compelling. He scratched behind the ears, pondering how he'd feel about Noishe if the creature the size of a rabbit and could talk. He chuckled to himself. He was thinking like Colette!

"Hey, did Noishe try to enter the village again?" Luke turned around to see Lloyd and Genis at the gate.

"I told him to stay outside!" Lloyd groaned. "He never listens to me."

"No one does." Genis sneered playfully and Luke laughed.

"Coming to play today, Genis?" The redhead asked. The half-elf shook his head.

"I'm visiting another friend today." The silver haired boy replied. "Besides, Lloyd has to finish Colette's birthday present." Luke nearly pulled out a chunk of Noishe's hair.

"O—Oh, right, he didn't even start on that!" He chuckled nervously. He mentally hit himself for being in the same boat as Lloyd, but luckily, Luke had a different trade skill. Since Colette's birthday coincided with her leaving, he could easily pick out the best herbs from his garden to give her. The rarer the herbs, the better, and he spent a year laboring over those Red Saffrons.

"You traitor!" Lloyd exclaimed and scowled.

"Lloyd." The guard spoke up. "Since Luke decided to ignore me, the Mayor wanted me to ask you something."

"What's that old man want with us?" Luke inquired with a frown.

The guard ignored him and continued. "Neither of you two have been playing around the human ranch, have you?"

"Of course not!" Lloyd cheerfully answered. "Even I'm not that stupid."

The guard frowned, but seemed satisfied by the answer. Luke mimicked him from behind Noishe. Hey, if Noishe couldn't speak for himself, he might as well do it for his dog.

"L—Let's go now, you two." Genis said nervously. Luke shot Lloyd a look, who shrugged. The trio departed from the village and entered the neighboring forest. Genis suddenly stopped at the fork, announcing that it was his destination.

"But that's the Desian human ranch." Lloyd protested. "Isn't that violating the Non-Aggression treaty?"

"The Desians already broke it by attacking the temple!" Genis countered sharply. The two continued to argue over the matter, and Luke felt a headache come on again.

"Do what you want!" he snapped. "Just… stop arguing over it."

Genis was taken aback by the sudden outburst. "I'm going. I have to go. There's someone I have to tell about the oracle!"

"Well I'm going with you. I'd feel uneasy if I left you alone." Lloyd said with finality in his voice. Genis smiled at his best friend. "Luke?"

"I still feel my head pounding." The redhead scowled. "Besides, I don't want to get a beating from Dad right after Professor Raine punched me."

"Hey, no one's going to find out." Lloyd argued, but Luke ignored him and proceeded down the path to Dirk's house. "Fine, go! I hope Dad's making grilled fish tonight!"

Luke growled, clearly frustrated. Why did Lloyd and Genis have to do something so stupid! The fact that Genis was the one who started it shocked him the most. Even if the Desians did break the treaty, that didn't give them the right to romp around outnumbered, outclassed, out-everything. By the time the redhead made it home, Noishe was sitting on the bridge. The protozoan growled at him.

"Noishe, move." He commanded, but Noishe growled some more. The white and green creature then whined loudly, and began to prod the boy with his nose. He whined and nuzzled Luke's chest, and then his left hand. He alternated poking his chest and hand, and then looked into Luke's green eyes. "He's with Genis, doing something stupid at the ranch." Suddenly Noishe growled at Luke loudly and barked at him. "Wha—hey!"

Noishe's sudden behavior shocked the redhead. He had never seen Noishe angry like that. The protozoan was practically shoving him! It soon dawned on him. Noishe asked about Lloyd. Noishe was afraid of danger.

Lloyd was in danger.

Without another word, Luke twirled around and ran back to the ranch. From the bottom of the hill, Luke could see fireballs fly through the air and hear the indignant cry of Desians. If Genis was casting magic and the Desians were reacting… The white-clad Irving cursed and scrambled up the hill as fast as he could. He heard Lloyd provoking Desians. The familiar sounds of wooden blades swishing through the air clashed against grunts, cries, and whips cracking. Lloyd was in pain! Abandoning his common sense, Luke rushed up the hill and tackled the first Desian he saw.

"Luke!" Lloyd gasped. Another Desian attempted to take advantage of the distraction, but Luke quickly drew his wooden sword and intercepted the attack. The Irvings exchanged looks and prepared their weapons.

"Demon Fang!"

"Fang Blade!"

Together, they defeated the three whip masters with ease. Lloyd cursed when backup Desians arrived, and grabbed Luke's arm.

"Hey, what the hell!"

"No time, just jump!"

"What you're cra—AHHH!"

Without another word, the brunet leaped off the cliff with a screaming redhead in tow. Somehow, just somehow, the two survived long enough to meet up with Genis at the bottom of the cliff.

"Lloyd! Luke!" The half-elf cried. "They saw your faces! I'm so sorry, this is all my fault…"

Luke, still recovering from the shock that his own brother dragged him off the cliff, said nothing.

"Don't worry about it." Lloyd chuckled.

"But…"

"We took out the ones who saw our faces. Besides, we both knew the risks and charged in like idiots. Well, he charged in like an idiot."

"H—Hey, that's not funny…"

"You have to admit, that was pretty stupid."

"I couldn't just let you two get yourselves killed!"

"Thanks Lloyd… You too Luke!"

"No problem. Just do my homework for me, okay?"

"You should really do that on your own, Lloyd." Genis chastised happily. "Buuut since I pretty much do it for you anyway, it's a deal."

"We should get back before they start looking for us." Luke muttered. He tried to stand on his shaking legs, his entire body still tingling from the experience. The silver-haired half-elf nodded.

"Right. Thanks again!" And with that, the trio split up.

As soon as Lloyd and Luke reached their home, the former stopped on the bridge.

"Luke." He said. The redhead stopped abruptly at the serious tone in his brother's voice. "There's something you should know. Something that I saw at the ranch."

"…What is it?" Luke swallowed. This could only be bad news.

"Today, I met an old lady with an Exsphere."

"That Crot—I mean Kratos guy had one."

"She didn't have a Key Crest. She said the Desians put it on her soon after she was taken there."

Luke felt a pulse in his chest again. His hand automatically shot up to his chest. He tried to say something, but the words didn't leave his voice. Lloyd looked at him and continued.

"I'm going to ask Dad to make her a Key Crest. Can you back me up on this?"

"Of course, Lloyd."

"Thanks Luke."

"Don't mention it…"

As the boys crossed the bridge, Luke's hand never left his chest.

* * *

><p>I'm unsatisfied by how much of the dialog is pulled from the game script. Luke's short attention span should help out next time. Not expecting drastic change, but enough to make a story.<p>

I'm currently working on a redesign for Luke's outfit. All I'm sure about is that his coat is still white, they still dangle after him, blah blah blah, but the rest of it still needs work to fit into the Sylvarant fashion.

Until next time, good day. (5/15/11)


	2. Cambiare

Can't wait to get to perv!Luke.

As banjo2E pointed out, I never made clear what Luke's race is. Personally, I thought everyone would assume he's human, but clearly I was wrong. He's human, for the most part.

* * *

><p>Convincing Luke to go along with his plans? Cake. Convincing Dirk? An entirely different story. Lloyd wanted to convince himself that Dirk wouldn't ask questions, but the look the dwarf was giving him said otherwise.<p>

"Why do'ya need a Key Crest for?"

"We met someone with an Exsphere today." Lloyd elaborated.

"Or we think he was using an Exsphere." Luke added. "He kept it hidden, so I couldn't tell. I was hoping you could make them an accessory in place of a Key Crest."

Dirk eyed them suspiciously. "And jus' who did ya two meet today?"

"Ah—A traveler. A travelling mercenary." Lloyd answered, thinking back to Kratos. He looked at Luke to make sure their stories aligned. Unfortunately, just as Raine learned, Dirk knew the signs.

"Baloney." He spat. "Only Desians really use Exspheres. If yer travelling mercenary took one off a Desian, it should already have a Key Crest."

Luke glanced at Lloyd and mouthed "I'm sorry." The brunet glared at his brother for giving up this easily.

"Lloyd, remind me. What is Dwarven Vow #11?"

"…Lying is the first step to the path of thievery…"

"So tell me the truth. Why do ya need a Key Crest?"

Lloyd's eyes darted to the side. "…I met someone at the Human Ranch today. She had an Exsphere without a Key Crest." He finally confessed.

At that moment, Dirk blew up.

"Ya went to the ranch!" The dwarf then caught Luke's guilty look. "And ya went with 'im?"

"Hey, he was just trying to help me out!" Lloyd blurted. He clamped a hand on his mouth while his brother groaned loudly.

"Ya didn't let them see yer Exsphere, did ya?"

"Of course not, it's under my shirt."

"I wasn't talkin' ta ya Luke, I meant Lloyd's!"

"I—I didn't!" Lloyd protested. He held up his bandaged covered hand to prove his point. Dirk stared at him, but seemed satisfied.

"That's good."

"Why should we have to hide our Exspheres?" Luke asked. "I mean, I know mine's kinda gross looking, but Lloyd's looks as normal. And that mercenary didn't hide his."

Dirk sighed, his slacking his shoulders a little. "Luke, go outside an' go pick some tomatoes for dinner."

Normally the redhead would snicker at his brother's horrified expression, but it seemed out of place. Their dad was sending him out to talk to Lloyd alone, and his face told him it was something very private. The green-eyed Irving merely nodded and quickly exited the house. He sighed loudly, looking at Noishe's pen.

"You're so lucky you're not a human." He muttered to the protozoan. He dragged himself to his small garden and inspected the plants. Assuming Dirk didn't annihilate his sons tonight, Lloyd and Luke would join Colette on her journey to regenerate the world, whether Raine and Kratos protested or not. Like with the temple, Kratos seemed to give into Colette's wishes. It wouldn't be too hard for her to sucker them to join in on the journey. As amazing as the journey would be, he worried for his plants. Dirk did take care of his own houseplants well enough, but those plants were practically Luke's children! He especially cared about his flowers. They drew a strong sense of nostalgia for him. Those poor selenias… He worked his ass off breeding those and finding the optimal lighting, which was strangely no lighting at all. He made a mental note to tell Dirk his selenias grew in the dark. Otherwise, the well-meaning dwarf might kill them with sunlight.

He shook himself out of his tangent and chuckled in spite of himself. Now was not the time for flowers. He had to retrieve those tomatoes. Selecting the ripest he had growing, he carefully cradled them and practically bounced back to the house in a better mood. He winced when he heard yelling, but that wasn't going to spoil his mood. What did however, was the sight of Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos approaching.

"Uhh… hey." He lamely greeted. His green eyes went to the door. "Now's not a—"

"You don't have to hit me!"

Miraculously, no tomatoes hit the floor when Luke reached up to place his face in his palm. Lloyd stared at him, then at the guests, and then groaned.

"Don't tell me you heard that…"

"I'm sorry." Genis apologized. "It's my fault you two…"

"Hey, don't blame yourself." Lloyd said. "It's not like I'm going to die." He glared at the tomatoes in Luke's arms in disgust.

"Umm… Lloyd, can I speak with you?" Colette asked nervously. "Alone."

"We'll wait here." Raine dismissed. She smiled a little at the brunet.

"Let's go up to the terrace then."

Lloyd and Colette disappeared into the house and upstairs. Luke paused for a moment, mouthed a "be right back", and went inside to put the tomatoes in the kitchen. He hastily made his exit. Genis seemed to want to talk to him right away, so he took the small half-elf aside.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this." Genis apologized again. "You were right not wanting to go there."

"Lloyd told me about what was going on there." Luke quickly interrupted. "I was wrong to not go in the first place. So don't apologize for it anymore. "

"But Luke…"

"No buts! I was worried about you and Lloyd, and if I didn't get there in time, Lloyd would have been in even more trouble."

"I guess you're right… Thanks Luke."

"It's the least I could do for my brother's best friend."

"I'm your friend too, right?"

"Heh. You're right, I'm sorry."

"Now who's the one apologizing?"

The two laughed. From the corner of his eye, Luke spied Kratos at Anna's grave. Genis noticed the change in his expression.

"He's kinda weird, isn't he?" Genis commented. "What's he doing in front of your mom's grave like that?"

Luke would have muttered that she was Lloyd's mother, but was too curious. Why was Kratos there?

"I'm going to see what's up."

Luke didn't hear Genis bid farewell, opting to investigate the strange man instead. He couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness he had when he as so much thought about Kratos. Some small fortune or no, it seemed fishy the guy would go traveling with them. He hoped it wasn't because the man was secretly a pervert, though that would explain the spandex. Luke shuttered. He feared those spandex would haunt his nightmares for nights to come. Pushing the disgusting thought out of his head, he approached the man.

"Whose gravestone is this?" Kratos asked before Luke could even say anything.

"That's my mom's…" Luke answered. "I mean, she's Lloyd's mom, but she was like a mom to me, I think. I don't remember too well, but I know I call her mom even though she's not my mom."

Kratos only raised an eyebrow, although the white-clad redhead could have sworn the corner of his mouth twitched.

"I see." So his mouth did twitch with amusement. "What about your parents?"

Luke shrugged. "I dunno. I don't remember a lot, but I think they might have died when I was born."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well I wouldn't call Lloyd's mom Mom if I wasn't with her more than I was with my parents."

"I see… Then what about Lloyd's father?"

The question truly stumped Luke. Not because Kratos asked, but because he hadn't thought about his birth parents or Lloyd's birth father. Were they all together before? Did Lloyd's father die with his parents? Was that how the Desians were able to kill Lloyd's mother? He would have seriously thought about it more, but he remembered someone was waiting for an answer.

"I don't know, but Dirk's our Dad now."

Kratos' stony face never changed. "I see. It was a strange thing to ask. I apologize." Without waiting to hear Luke deny the strangeness, the auburn haired man briskly walked away. Luke scratched his head, even more perplexed.

"What a weirdo…"

He caught Colette and Lloyd heading back inside and nearly jumped. Colette was leaving. He scrambled over to his garden and carefully picked some herbs. He inspected his harvest over and scavenged for a small bag.

"Colette, wait!" He cried. The blonde spun around and smiled.

"What is it, Luke?" She inquired sweetly. He held up the bag, grinning sheepishly.

"Happy birthday!" He blurted. "Sorry for not getting it to you earlier, but I thought it would be better fresh."

The others stared at him dubiously, seeing straight through his flimsy excuse, but Colette seemed to buy it.

"Thank you Luke!" The Chosen opened the bag and breathed in the scent. "They smell wonderful."

"I hope they'll be useful on your journey." Luke blinked. Instead of telling him that he and Lloyd would be there with her, she only smiled sadly at him.

"They will be… Thank you. Good bye, Luke."

As they left, Luke stood on the bridge, confused. Her wording was strange, and her voice… Shaking off his feeling, the redhead headed back into the house. Lloyd seemed to be up in their room while Dirk was at his worktable. The dwarf looked up at his son.

"Hold it, Luke." He called. "I thought about it and I decided on yer punishments."

"Punishments?" Luke's face paled.

"Yeah. I'm goin' ta be workin' on that Key Crest for a while, so I can't fix up supper."

"Okay, I'll get Llo—"

"No Luke. Yer goin' ta be the one makin' it."

As if there was a mysterious Luke-is-cooking-tonight alarm that Dirk just set off, Lloyd screamed. "WHAT!" The red-clad Irving rushed down the stairs, his face white as a sheet. "No! You can't let him!"

"Lloyd, its yer punishment."

"This is cruel and unusual!"

"Yeah, yeah, stop yer whinin' and get back to workin' on Colette's present. I'll call ya down when he's done."

"So—So Dad, what am I making?"

Luke instantly regretted asking. That grin on Dirk's face was far too frightening for his comfort.

"Tomato Fish."

* * *

><p>That morning, Lloyd proved miracles do come true, by both getting up early AND finishing Colette's birthday present after food poisoning via Luke. Luke managed to recover by morning but was still in a foul mood.<p>

"Morning." The redhead muttered, glaring harshly at his breakfast.

"Morning to you too." Lloyd greeted cheerfully. "Where did Dad go?"

"He went to see Mom." Luke yawned. The redheaded Irving decided to abandon his breakfast and stood up to stretch. "It's almost time to go, so make it quick."

Lloyd nodded and headed out with Luke close behind. The dwarf was where Luke said, holding a pair of packs.

"Dad…" Lloyd started, but couldn't find the voice to continue. "About yesterday…"

"Good mornin' ta ya too." Dirk laughed. "Here's the Key Crest, and the bracelet, just like ya wanted."

"Dad…!"

"Dwarven Vow #2, right?" Luke chuckled.

"Aye, Luke has it down."

Lloyd chuckled a little. "Right. Dad, Luke and I are going to join Colette and help regenerate the world, so that no one suffers like Mom did."

Dirk nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know. Luke and I had a long talk last night. But remember ya two. This'll always be yer home. Come back anytime ya like, and do take care of each other."

"We will." Luke confirmed.

"And don't ever forget Dwarven Vow #7!"

"Like anyone can ever forget a line that cheesy." Lloyd groaned. "Don't worry, we won't forget it, no matter how much we'd like to."

"It's just you, man."

"Shut up Luke." Lloyd laughed anyway. "Come on Noishe, let's go regenerate the world!"

The protozoan barked, happy to finally get going. Dirk handed them the packs, patting his sons on the back as they each accepted. Before the two humans and dog could cross the bridge, a certain half-elf met them at the entrance.

"Genis? What are you doing here?" Lloyd inquired.

"I could ask the same about you two!" Genis huffed.

"We were just getting ready to join Colette." Luke explained. "And Lloyd got Dad to make the Key Crest."

"Tha—thanks, but—"

"Come on, let's head to Iselia. We're going to be late."

"You guys, Colette and the others left a long time ago!"

Lloyd stared at the short half-elf in surprise. "It's not even noon yet, how could they have already left?"

"We're not going to find the answers standing around talking here!" Luke snapped. "Let's go!"

The three rushed back to the village, dodging monsters and foliage. None bothered to make sure Noishe stayed outside, only briefly according the guard's message to go to Phaidra's house. The elderly woman did not appear surprised by their entrance, only greeting them. She handed Lloyd a letter.

"Colette asked me to give this to you."

Shaking, Lloyd read it aloud. With each word, his face contorted in sad confusion. When he finished, the entire house was silent.

"'Farewell'?" Luke suddenly repeated, breaking the silence.

"It almost sounds like a will." Lloyd commented.

"Yes… I suppose you can think of it like that." Phaidra said. Luke detected guilt in her voice, and suddenly became horrified. When Frank spoke up, it only confirmed his fears.

"There is something we haven't told anyone in the village." The man said. "You see…"

Whatever he was going to explain was cut off by a loud explosion. Lloyd, Luke, and Genis jumped in surprise and swiftly exited to see what the commotion was. To their horror, they saw flames. Citizens were running everywhere, only to be cut down by Desian soldiers. It was pure chaos. Lloyd and Genis immediately moved into action to help some people while Luke was frozen. His head began to pulse.

"Ughh…"

A Desian spotted him and moved to attack. Luckily, Lloyd returned just in time to block the assault.

"What are you doing!" He yelled. "We gotta help the villagers!"

"Ri—Right!" Luke had to shake off that strange sensation of pure horror. He couldn't afford to stand around while innocent people were being hurt before his eyes. He ignored Genis' lamentation and focused on the Desians. The Desians were the ones who killed Lloyd's mother. The Desians were the ones hurting countless people across the world. The Desians were the ones hurting the people in front of them. It wasn't before long they spotted a group of villagers being herded to the center of town. A Desian with aquamarine hair caught Luke's eye. He had an eye patch over his right eye and a strange case on his left arm. Since he was dressed differently, eye patch and arm case aside, Luke surmised he was their commander.

"Lloyd and Luke Irving! Come forth!" A high ranking Desian commanded. Not risking any chances, Lloyd and Luke revealed themselves.

"What the hell do you want with us?" Luke growled. The Desian he noticed earlier rolled his eye.

"Hear this, inferior beings!" He declared. "I am Forcystus, one of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals. I am the superior half-elf who presides over this region. " The villagers murmured amongst themselves as he continued. "You two humans, Lloyd and Luke, are guilty for the crime of violating the non-aggression treaty we superior half-elves graciously agreed to. Therefore, for your disrespect, I bring judgment upon you and this worthless village!"

"You violated the treaty first!" Genis exclaimed. "You guys tried to murder the Chosen yesterday!"

This only seemed to amuse the Desians. The lower ranking soldiers chuckled, whispering to each other. Forcystus only smirked. "There is more to this, inferior beings. But I don't need to explain myself. You, Lloyd Irving, are guilty of being in contact with host body F192, and you, Luke Irving, are guilty of assisting Lloyd attack our guards."

The major roared with fury, but Luke ignored him. He had a bad feeling in his chest, and tried to concentrate on the Grand Cardinal before him. He might have said something about a punishment, but those words were swept away by what came next. The Desians led a horrifying monster before them. It was tall, with a single glowing red eye on his head. Its limbs were long, arms reaching the ground. Its skin was green with yellow enormous veins popping out. At that moment, Luke's chest and head pulsed. His entire body shook with fear. His hand gripping his sword turned white. The monster before him was truly something of his nightmares, but he had a feeling it was more than just bad dreams. The image was buried deep inside and threatened to erupt. Luke screamed. He stumbled backwards, sword arm shaking violently.

"No… No…!"

"Luke, snap out of it!" Genis voice finally reached him. Reality crashed back into Luke like cold water splashing his face. He saw Lloyd fighting the monster, dodging wide swipes while Genis cast magic. Around them, the houses still burned, the Desians were cheering the monster on, and the villagers were still stunned. He watched the monster knock Lloyd into the air, who landed with a sickening thud. It raised its arms to crush the momentarily stunned boy. Luke had to act quickly. He charged at the monster and leaped into the air.

"Havoc Strike!"

The force of the blow managed to knock the monster back, and successfully distracted it from killing Lloyd.

"Nice of you to join us." Lloyd muttered.

"Yeah, well I like wearing white, and your blood would have made my coat all red."

Without another word, the boys went to work. They ran around the monster, one hitting it from behind while the other distracted it, switching roles whenever it decided to change its focus. Genis' spells helped out tremendously, and it soon fell. They panted heavily, Luke's green eyes never leaving it. He heard a Desian cause more noise when Forcystus decided to speak.

"Then it is the one from the Angelus Project." The Grand Cardinal commented. "Boy, give me that Exsphere!"

"Hell no!" Lloyd shrieked indignantly. "This is a memento of my mom's, who you Desians murdered!"

Before Forcystus could retort, the monster suddenly stood up and wrapped its arms around him. It seemed to speak with the voice of an elderly woman. While Luke did not recognize the voice, Lloyd and Genis did.

"Marble?"

Luke's chest flashed with what seemed to be sadness.

"Genis… You were like a grandson to me. Thank you for your kindness… Goodbye…"

A bright flash shined from the monster, blinding everyone. When the light receded, a blue crystal rolled and hit Genis' feet. It was an Exsphere. Luke's attention shifted to Forcystus, who was injured from the blast. His lackeys fretted over him, but were weakly pushed aside by their commander.

"Lloyd Irving, as long as you have that Exsphere, we'll never stop hunting you down!"

With that final proclamation, he allowed the Desians to cart him back to the ranch. With the threat safely behind the tree line, the mayor approached them, his face red with fury.

"Look at what you've done to our village!" He roared. "This is all your fault, you miserable whelps!"

"I'm sorry…" Lloyd quietly apologized. Luke stared at him.

"Sorry's not going to fix this!" The mayor continued. "You heard what the Desians said. They'll keep coming after here, and as long as they do, this village will never be safe!"

"Wait a minute!" blurted Genis. The small silver haired boy ran in front of the Irvings in protest. "You're just going to kick them out?"

"I have no choice."

"That's not fair at all!" Genis continued. "They just wanted to help out!"

"If they wanted to help out, they should have helped out around the village, not with some outsiders." A villager countered.

"Indeed." The mayor concluded. "If they weren't so foolish, only those outsiders would have died."

"…You humans are disgusting…"

"Genis…"

"That's enough. This was my fault." Lloyd put a hand on his best friend's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"We'll leave." Luke added. A woman protested to the mayor, who only continued his harsh lecture. Genis protested again, claiming the blame fall on him. However, recalling Forcystus' words finalized the banishment. Luke however, did not think the part about their upbringing was necessary. Had the events around them not been so serious, he would have plotted a prank in revenge. The world around him was moving quickly, and he was barely keeping up. At least he'll have Lloyd and Genis.

"Fine then." The mayor begrudgingly agreed. "I hereby banish Lloyd, Genis, and Luke from the village of Iselia. Now get out!"

Phaidra and Frank approached the three as villagers began to retreat to put out the flames. Lloyd seemed to channel Colette with how much he was apologizing. Phaidra and Frank only told him to catch up with the Chosen to atone. As touching as the scene was, Luke could spy the mayor still watching them. He could read from the livid man's expression that he wanted them out at this very moment. He had to make one last statement against the man, for personal vengeance. While Lloyd convinced Genis to use Marble's Exsphere, Luke thought hard.

"Come on Luke, we're going."

They had to leave, but Luke wasn't done plotting! Fortunately, he had a small flash of petty brilliance. He grabbed his long hair, as if he was going to pull it into a ponytail. A few years ago, Lloyd and Genis had a bet going to see how long Luke could go without cutting his hair, which had reached past his shoulder blades by that time. Although they tried to keep the bet a secret away from the redhead, Colette had accidentally blabbed to Luke. Just to spite his brother for having such a wager, he threw the contest in Genis' favor and kept growing it. The bet ended after two years, but Luke had grown used to having long hair by then that he never cut it. It reached past his hips now, and the ends curiously turned gold. A single word ran through his mind at that moment. _Change_. He had to change, they all had to change in order to repent and save the world. He drew his sword.

"L—Luke?"

Lloyd and Genis watched in surprise as Luke cut his hair. The long hair he refused to cut before out of childish spite was now a bundle in his hands. A strong wind blew, and Luke let go. He couldn't help but grin and cackle childishly.

"Good luck getting rid of all of me!"

* * *

><p>Moar description hopefully distracting from all that dialog. Tried to change it up a bit, maybe antagonize the mayor more than necessary. Probably should have said Luke had his long hair before he went and chopped it all off, but frankly, I don't even like how Luke looks with his long hair. Short haired!Luke is such a cute babyface.<p>

And look at me, updating! It's a miracle, go look at the timestamps for We Come in Peace. An entire year between updates! Yeah, you guys reading this are lucky. (5/15/11)


	3. Ruvido

Thanks for the reviews guys! It makes me feel warm and fuzzy that I have at least two readers, haha. Went back and replaced a few things. Weird, the game makes Expsheres glow red, but they're actually blue. Cruxis crystals are apparently red.

Anon and AccessBlade: Yeah, I wish I had the description in at the beginning, but it wasn't really that import IMO. You'll find out Luke's heritage later on. As for Abyss characters, there's at least one definitely planned, but it's not Asch. I tried to fit Asch in, but it just didn't want to work out. Not to say that it's completely impossible, but for now, Asch is a no go, like the spoil sport he is in Abyss.

* * *

><p>If anything, their banishment from Iselia had been almost refreshing for Luke. He felt pigeon holed to be in that same village for years, and he finally had an excuse to go out and explore. He did feel bad for leaving Dirk behind, but he supposed the dwarf would be fine without his sons for a while. It was like a break away from responsibility, and Martel knows Dirk needed one. He almost wished he didn't cut his hair though. He missed the familiar weight behind his head, and had to adjust to fighting without the drag. The top of his head was also a mess, and the rest just looked plain girly. Genis teased him about how much he fussed like a girl to match the haircut. Lloyd added more salt to the wound by ignoring his pleas to stop by the House of Salvation before going into the desert so Luke could at least get it trimmed properly.<p>

"We have to catch up with Colette!" The brunet reasoned. "We can't afford to lose any more time just because your hair isn't girly enough."

Luke cursed the heat of the desert for being so hot. He did secretly enough how much more Lloyd was suffering. As much as Luke loved their father, he disliked wearing his dwarven gear. His preference gave him the advantage in the sweltering heat of the desert sun. Conversely, he'd have to dig through his pack for his own dwarven gear if they had to travel somewhere cold, but there was no place on Sylvarant he could think of that called for such an occasion. It wasn't before long that the two humans, half-elf, and protozoan reached their desert sanctuary. Unfortunately, word traveled faster, and Desians were already on the lookout for Lloyd. They noticed the red uniformed half-elves tack up posters on every bulletin board available, and swiftly went to inspect when the coast was clear.

"Hey, I look nothing like that!" Lloyd cried out in offense.

"That's a good thing, dummy." Genis snorted, rolling his eyes. "No one's going to find you like that."

"I don't know, I see the resemblance." Luke joked. He ducked quickly to avoid Lloyd's left hook.

"Whatever." The brunet huffed. "Let's just look for Colette."

"You do that, I need that stupid haircut."

"You girl!"

"Shut up!"

Luke made a hasty retreat to the inn. Despite his hard search, no barber was in sight, nor was anyone willing to stop to give him a free haircut. After a while, he decided it was a lost cause and went out to look for his brother and Genis. Outside was strangely quiet before people went back to their business.

"Hey, did something happen here?" He stopped someone to ask. The man shook his head.

"Some Desians came to catch a criminal." The man answered. "You should be glad you missed it, I was afraid they'd grab the rest of us too!" Luke had to restrain himself from cursing out loud. He quietly thanked him, and watched him disappear into the crowd. When he ran to the exit, Noishe pounced on him.

"Augh, you stupid dog!" He cursed loudly.

"Luke?"

He froze. Pushing Noishe off, he saw Colette, hands clasped together, her face showing confusion and happiness.

"What are you doing here?" Raine inquired. He ignored the hint of disappointment in her voice.

"I'll explain everything later," He sputtered in embarrassment. "Lloyd and Genis got captured by Desians!"

"We can't afford to waste any more time than we have." Kratos said coolly.

"Please, Kratos." Colette pleaded. "We have to save them!"

The man sighed in defeat. "…If that is what the Chosen desires." Noishe barked happily. The protozoan sniffed the air and waved his head around in search of a scent. When he found it, he barked and darted off, pausing after a few yards to make sure his humanoid companions didn't lose him. They soon found the structures of a Desian base, with a certain half-elf waiting in the front.

"Ra—Raine!" He squeaked.

"Genis, you're safe!" The teacher gasped in relief.

"Where's Lloyd?" Colette cried.

"They took him inside, we got to save him!"

"We have to approach this carefully." Kratos warned.

"Knowing Lloyd, he probably already set off the alarms and is running around anyway." Luke scoffed. The mercenary frowned.

"And that is precisely why we must be careful." The auburn haired man continued. "If what you say is true, then the guards will be on high alert, not to mention highly aggravated."

"Kratos is right, Luke." Raine said. "This is no time to be impulsive."

"If you say so, Professor." Luke said through his teeth.

"Luke, I know you're worried about Lloyd, but rushing in might put him in even more danger."

"I know! Let's just… Get to rescuing him!"

As they infiltrated deeper into the base, Luke couldn't shake off a strange feeling. The walls were cold, unforgiving, and oddly familiar. Different thoughts kept filling his head, and they all disappeared as soon as they emerged. He couldn't concentrate on Genis' summary of events, even when his name was mentioned. He quickly dispelled the feeling when they reached the holding cells. Lloyd wasn't there. In fact, the cell doors were wide open, and an unconscious Desian lay a few feet away. Raine inspected the half-elf, deducing he had been knocked out by a small burst of fire.

"That's right, Lloyd still had the Sorcerer's Ring!" Genis exclaimed. Colette made a face, as if she had just realized that fact.

"I knew I was forgetting something!" She giggled.

"So wait! If that thing was an artifact of the Church of Martel, needed for the Chosen's journey, why did you leave it with Lloyd, and then leave without him?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize." Luke grumbled. "It's not completely your fault." He gave Kratos a dirty look whose expression never changed at the accusation.

"Watch where you step." He simply said. The younger redhead glared at him and his spandex before tripping over broken machinery. He would have cursed out loud had he not landed flat on his face.

"Whoa, what is that?" Genis pondered aloud.

"I don't know, but something about it yells 'Lloyd.'" Luke said, glaring at the broken Raybit.

"So if we follow the destruction, we'll find Lloyd!" Colette cheerfully concluded. The others stared ahead at the path of destroyed robots and unconscious Desians.

"It appears so."

They followed the destruction to a room with a strange cube in the center.

"The north door seems to be unlocked." Kratos commented. "He must have gone through there."

Once through, they spotted some Desians headed around the next corridor.

"That's the Desian that tried to kill Colette!" Genis hissed, recognizing the tall man with spiky black hair.

"Let's follow them, we might get some info off them." Luke said. They carefully pursued the Desians into an office space. Luckily, they found Lloyd, sparing them from an awkward confrontation with the Desians in question.

"Lloyd!" Genis exclaimed. "You're okay!"

"You guys!"

"Perfect." The Desian with the spiky hair interrupted. "I'll take care of all of you at once!" He drew a large reddish scimitar and charged, followed by his two lackeys. Luke and Kratos quickly disposed of them while Lloyd distracted the larger half-elf from interrupting Genis' casting. Luke scanned him with a magic lens for weaknesses, but only learned that his name was Botta. Just as their energy ran low, Kratos managed to make a critical strike, breaking Botta's sword in the process. The half-elf cursed.

"I underestimated you all." He grunted. He dropped the bladeless hilt, waved a hand, and retreated with his injured soldiers. Once he was gone, Raine walked over and picked up the broken weapon he abandoned.

"Let's go before reinforcements arrive." Kratos warned. Deciding the man's advice was indeed wise, Lloyd and Luke simply followed.

* * *

><p>On the way back to Triet, Raine constantly asked about Exspheres after discovering one from the broken sword she scavenged. Kratos delayed answering until they reached the inn, but failed to stop the questions. The two Irvings managed to avoid her crazed inquiries all together via Colette and Genis. The teens joked and laughed all the way to the inn. Once out of the sun, Raine demanded her answers, which Kratos wearily obliged.<p>

"Fascinating!" The woman exclaimed dreamily. "I would love to use this!" She held up the blue gem that sparkled in the firelight

"I would advise against that." Kratos said with a frown. "Exspheres are hazardous to the body without a Key Crest."

Colette looked at Lloyd and Luke. "Can't one of you make one?"

"I can carve the charm, but only Dad can process the inhibitor ore needed to make a Key Crest." Lloyd answered. Luke looked away. He held onto the extra bracelet Dirk made so they could remove Marble's Exsphere before replacing it with a proper mount. However, because Marble had been turned into an Exbula and sacrificed herself to save him, Genis, and Lloyd, they didn't need it immediately. Instead, Genis inherited the mount and the Exsphere and Luke received the bracelet so that he could have a matching set. Fortunately, he didn't need to relinquish his safety net. Raine dumped the contents of her pack on the floor, asking if any of those artifacts were inhibitor ore. Among the Lloyd-proclaimed junk, Kratos found a Key Crest, which the professor apparently found in front of the human ranch. However, as the mercenary pointed out, the crest was half worn out, the reason why the Key Crest had been abandoned in the first place. Lloyd snatched the object from him.

"No problem, I can fix that." He declared smugly. "You can equip that Exsphere by tomorrow, Professor." Luke snickered at Lloyd's enthusiasm, earning a dirty look from Raine.

"I appreciate it Lloyd." She said. "But if it's too much trouble, don't work over it too hard." She gestured for Genis to follow her to their room for the night. Kratos made a wordless exit, leaving Lloyd, Luke, and Colette in the room.

"I guess I should go now." Colette said sheepishly.

"Hold on," Luke suddenly said, stopping the girl. "Before you go to sleep, think you can…" He gestured to his hair, and she laughed.

"I'll be more than happy to fix your hair."

"Thanks, you have no idea how hard it was to find someone who is."

"That's because they're not as girly as you are." Lloyd teased. Luke retaliated by throwing a pillow at him. "Hey, if I mess this up, I'm telling the Professor it's your fault!"

"Oh, I'm so scared." But he really was. There was no telling what their teacher would do to him if she couldn't equip that Exsphere soon. He escaped with Colette to her single room, where she trimmed and styled his hair properly.

"Why did you have to cut your hair?" She asked. Genis seemed to have neglected to tell them that part.

"Uh, a bandit grabbed onto it and I had to chop it off." Luke quickly lied. Dirk would have beaten him black and blue for that, but his pride was on the line. She directed him to the vanity to see the results in the mirror. She trimmed off the remaining golden parts of his hair to match the rest of his fiery red hair. She also made the top of his head less spiky, but couldn't seem to tame all of it as two clumps still stubbornly stood up no matter how much work was applied to them. She pulled and layered the back of his hair back a little so it didn't fall down on his shoulders as a girl's haircut would. The hair around his face seemed to make his eyes bigger, which was strange, but not unwelcome.

"Not bad." He praised. "Thanks Colette, I knew I could count on you."

"You're welcome Luke." She giggled. "I'm glad you like it. This is the first time I got to play with someone's hair!"

"Hey, if I ever have kids, you can do whatever you want to their hair."

He noticed it again. She smiled sadly in a bittersweet manner. Just what was going on with her?

"I would like that. Thank you Luke."

"Just practice on your kids first. You and Lloyd'll probably have them before I do."

"I—E—Eh?" Her face turned a darker shade of crimson than his hair. "M—Me and Lloyd? L—Luke! It's not like that!"

Luke simply laughed. "Sure it is."

"Besides, Lloyd doesn't like me like that…"

"Is that what you think?"

"Yes… Lloyd only thinks of me as a friend."

"Well then, you're in for the biggest surprise of your life."

"Huh? Is someone planning something?"

"…Never mind. Anyway, thanks again for the haircut. I'll see you tomorrow in the morning."

"Good night, Luke."

"Good night, Colette."

Luke glanced back at her one last time before leaving her room. She seemed to be deep in thought. Was it over Lloyd or what she was so bittersweet over earlier? He contemplated talking to his brother about it, but since part of it revolved around the brunet, he realized it wouldn't be such a good idea. He sighed and knocked on the Sage's door.

"Luke, what are you still doing up?" Raine inquired, blinking at the redhead at her door in surprise.

"I had Colette give me a haircut." He answered. "And I didn't want to disturb Lloyd's progress. You know, in case I might make him mess up." She nodded, satisfied by his answer and let him in. Genis was already fast asleep on his bed, arms spread out across the mattress.

"You must be exhausted by now." She mused. He rubbed his head sheepishly.

"A lot did happen."

"So I've heard. By the way Luke, I hope you don't mind me asking, but is that Angelic on your bracelets?"

Luke looked down at his wrists and traced the charms with his fingers. "Yeah. " He held up his right hand. "When Dad taught Lloyd how to carve the charm for Key Crests, he messed up a lot. This one was his first successful one."

"I see. And it's not inhibitor ore, is it?"

"No, inhibitor ore takes a long time to process, so Dad had him practice on other materials."

"Then why do you have a new one on your left?"

Luke bit his lip. "This was meant for the old lady Lloyd and Genis tried to save. I thought I'd hold onto it in case we met someone else who might need one."

"Why wear it then?"

"…Because… Lloyd might lose it in his pack when it's needed."

"…I see."

The awkward silence that ensued was interrupted by a knock at the door. Raine hastily went to answer.

"Hey Professor, I finished the—Luke?" Lloyd blinked, not expecting his brother to be in the Sage's room.

Luke yawned loudly and stretched. "I'm off to sleep then. Don't take too long explaining it." He brushed past Lloyd and slide around to their room. He blinked when he saw Kratos leave their shared room.

"Luke." The mercenary greeted. Before Luke could say anything, the man waltzed briskly past him in the same manner the younger redhead slid past Lloyd.

"Just where are you going?" Luke asked, clearly annoyed. The older man paused.

"I am merely going out for some fresh air. Tell Lloyd he can have the other bed if he returns before I do."

"What about you?"

"I don't need it as much as you two do."

"Lloyd and I can just double up."

Kratos seemed to consider the suggestion. "If he agrees to."

"He will."

"We'll see then."

Luke frowned, watching the man retreat downstairs. He had a strange feeling about him, not just because of the entire spandex issue. He was wary of the man for some reason he couldn't understand and his chest felt funny just thinking about it. He took those thoughts to bed, ignoring the discomfort in his chest. After a while, he heard someone enter the room, and another soon followed. He could hear Lloyd telling Kratos in a hushed voice to take the bed. Leaving no room for argument, the dwarven raised brunet kicked off his boots and slid into bed with Luke. With the familiar warmth by his side, Luke soon forgot his uneasiness and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>It was dark and cold. Luke could see nothing in front of him. He tried to call for Lloyd, for Genis, for anyone, but nothing came out. He heard small echoes in the distance and tried to follow until he heard the sounds the screams and cries of children. Distracted, he didn't notice the ground rumbling until it cracked. Purple mist arose from the crevices and the earth beneath him slowly liquefied. Luke struggled to find solid ground again, but every movement caused him to sink deeper. Suddenly, arms shot out and began dragging him down. His body was too heavy to struggle more, and he could only helplessly watch sinking into the abyss.<p>

When he awoke, he thrashed against constraints. It was dark, but he could now see faint objects. He heard a soft grunt sandwiched by long chains of snores. It took a moment for his brain to process that it was merely Lloyd clinging to him in his deep, deep slumber. He stopped struggling and let his heartbeats return to normal. He only had a nightmare, something he hadn't had in years. He waited centuries for light to infiltrate the room, too afraid to go back to sleep. He heard Kratos sneak out of bed at dawn, giving an amused chuckle at the two teens in the bed next to his. Luke made a mental note to force Kratos to share a bed with Lloyd next time and see how he likes Lloyd's death grip. But a small, nasty voice in the corner of his head confirmed that the man would like it, and he grimaced.

"Gross…"

"I assume next time you'll take my offer." Kratos commented in a hushed voice. Though there was hardly emotion in his tone, Luke could tell he was amused and he hated him for it.

"Thought I'd spare your hair from his drool." Luke snapped back. He didn't monitor the volume of his voice. It wasn't likely to wake up the oblivious Lloyd.

"I could have easily gotten comfortable on a chair."

"Whatever!" Luke grunted, elbowing his brother to no avail. "Lloyd, get the hell off me, I thought you grew out of this!" No matter how hard the redhead shoved, the brunet was latched defiantly onto him. "Kratos help! Blow into his ear!"

"…Pardon?"

"Just do it!"

Hesitantly the man walked over and did as he instructed.

"Gaahhh!"

Like an arrow, Lloyd immediately shot up, flailing all his limbs. To Luke's dismay, Kratos dodged the unintentional assault with ease. Lloyd glared at the man, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What the heck was that for?" He grumbled.

"I merely did as Luke requested."

Lloyd turned his glare to the other redhead. "You were drooling in my hair." Lloyd huffed and proceeded to smother Luke with his pillow. Luke retaliated by taking his own pillow and hitting Lloyd with it.

"If you two are done trying to kill each other." Kratos spoke up, interrupting the Irving war. "It may be more beneficial to put that energy into training instead of wasting it. I mentioned to Lloyd that his form is unrefined, but you could also benefit from training as well, Luke."

As much as Luke disliked the mercenary, he wasn't about to give up a free lesson in swordsmanship. He and Lloyd had been the only swordsmen in Iselia, since they were young outsiders and unwelcome from working in the fields. Having a third swordsman on their team meant that they could more easily correct the vulnerabilities they were unaware of. When the Irving brothers were done grooming and dressing, they followed Kratos to the outskirts of Triet. The man decided to spar with Lloyd first with the excuse that he had more time to observe Luke's style than Lloyd's. Luke shrugged and watched them from the side. He was amazed by the fluidity of Kratos' movements and begrudgingly acknowledged his skill. He even dodged and countered Lloyd's moves that Luke found difficult to deal with. Eventually, Kratos called training off and herded the two boys back to the inn for breakfast. To their relief, Genis cooked breakfast while Raine planned their route. Colette smiled and greeted the three as they joined them at the table.

"The Seal of Fire is southwest of here." Raine announced. "We'll need to be more prepared for what's coming this time. "

"What do we need?" Lloyd asked.

"Water, mainly. And I unless you two want your weapons to catch on fire, I suggest new ones."

Lloyd and Luke looked at each other and their swords. Despite living with a renowned blacksmith, neither of them received a decent sword from their father. It was a wonder how they managed to even get to Triet using wooden swords.

"I'll take them shopping." Kratos offered. Raine gave him a quizzical look as he continued. "If their own father couldn't trust them with real swords, I'd rather not let them handle their first pair unsupervised."

Ignoring the pair of offended looks, the female half-elf seemed to agree. "I'll take care of the other provisions then. Come, Genis. Colette, would you mind accompanying us?"

"Ah… I don't mind at all!"

With the division set, the small teams of three set off to procure their necessary items. Kratos took Lloyd and Luke to the bazaar, where he taught the two boys how to look for good qualities in swords. Lloyd was able to pick up those skills right away, identifying the quality in craftsmanship in the blades while Luke was right where they started. In the end, Lloyd was able to choose a set of twin swords designed for quick slashing with decent thrust on his own. Kratos guided Luke to choose a heavier cutlass, as the man observed that Luke put more emphasis on power in his slashes.

"Hey, should we get new equipment for everyone else too?" Lloyd asked. Kratos seemed to ponder and weigh the pros and cons of the suggestion.

"Eventually their weapons will need replacing, but they should be fine for now." He finally reasoned. "We should try to keep a tight budget for this journey."

"No kidding." Luke lamented. "We barely have any money left."

"Well if it's to protect Colette, I'll gladly go to the poorhouse!" Lloyd chirped loudly. A few passerbys stared at him as if he were crazy while others found the declaration rather romantic and cute. The arms dealer chuckled and heartily.

"Don't think yer girlfriend would like that very much." He joked. Lloyd's face turned as red as his jacket and rivaled Luke's hair. No words came out of his gaping mouth, so the shopkeeper continued. "See that man over there? He's a part of a group, haven't the foggiest what they're called, but they're all over the place. You can take yer old equipment to those folks along with some materials you might have gathered, and they'll make a new weapon out o' all that stuff, no charge."

"We'll keep that in mind." Kratos said, nodding. "Thank you for the advice."

"No problem! Gives us both some business."

"I wonder if some of the Professors junk can be used for that." Luke contemplated.

"I doubt she'd let us." Lloyd sighed in defeat. "Even though she carries it all over the place. I wonder how heavy her pack has to be before she trashes some of that stuff."

"It'll have to rival the planet, that's for sure." The two boys laughed, stopping abruptly when their teacher came into sight.

"I assume we're sufficiently equipped now?" She asked suspiciously. Lloyd simply beamed at her.

"Yeah!" Luke rolled his eyes. His brother was way too excited. Raine however, was pleased by Lloyd's excitement, interpreting it as a desire to learn about the ruins. Genis was already getting nervous and seemed to keep a close eye on his sister.

"If we're all prepared, let's depart." Kratos grunted. "We should leave before midday."

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat. His journey to help with the World Regeneration had just begun.

* * *

><p>Whoa, that one took a while. The slower pace proves I'm like Lloyd, haha. Get excited at first, and then get bored after a short period later. Seal of Fire is next, where I get to tune out Remiel some more.<p>

By the way, I'm still undecided on pairings. I know this chapter pretty much throws Colloyd at you, but do not worry fans of Sheelloyd, Railloyd, Prelloyd, Zelloyd, Gelloyd, Regalloyd, and that small niche that still ships Kralloyd (I'm not judging you, I'm one too. Then again, it's my firm belief that all of the Tales protagonists are to be shipped with everyone in their party and then some…). Any of those are possible as long as I'm still indecisive. You might even end up with Lloyluke.

Nah, I'm just pulling your leg. I try to avoid writing pairings unless the story was supposed to be romantic. (5/24/11).


	4. Acceso

Within that week, I lost my readers. All two of them! Nyuk nyuk nyuk.

* * *

><p>If walking through the desert with Lloyd and his dwarven gear wasn't painful enough, adding Raine, Colette, and Kratos to the mix certainly was. None of the three were complaining about the heat in addition to refusing to take off their jackets and cloaks. Kratos even had the gall to not even look like he was suffering in the heat! Luke wondered if the man was even human at all. Of course, all of this stayed in his head. He had no evidence to back up his outlandish accusations that even he wasn't completely convinced of. Between healing wounds and kicking bandit ass, Kratos should have registered as awesome in the young redhead's books. Lloyd was already taken in by the man, why was he still distrustful? Maybe all he needed was a beard. Luke envisioned Kratos with a goatee and chuckled to himself. Unfortunately, he was louder than he thought.<p>

"Raine, I think Luke's hallucinating!" Genis joked. "Should I cool him off with an Aqua Edge?"

"I'm not hallucinating!" Luke snapped.

"Boys, that's enough." Raine chided. "The ruins are just ahead."

"Finally!" Lloyd cried. He ran the rest of the way, ignoring Raine's protest. Luke groaned. He felt hotter watching Lloyd run in his dwarven gear in the desert. He almost missed Noishe beginning to whine and cower away from the ruins. Kratos noticed as well and dashed ahead.

"Lloyd, watch out!" He shouted. The twin swordsman turned around in confusion. Kratos zipped ahead of him and slashed at an approaching Fire Elemental. Startled, Lloyd nearly jumped and fumbled when he drew his swords. Colette and Luke rushed to his side to help while Genis began casting. Raine stayed in the back, watching everyone closely in case they needed healing. They quickly dispatched of the monsters. It was then that Kratos decided to teach them proper guard techniques. He taught Colette Damage Guard, the Sages Force Field, and the Irvings Guardian. Luke seemed to have a little trouble learning Guardian as he kept trying to drive the force of his protective mana to the floor, leaving him vulnerable to an aerial assault. It took him a few more tries to create the sphere Lloyd was able to make. Once everyone was settled with their new techniques, they continued up to the altar.

"This has my family's crest on it." Colette observed, pointing to a pedestal. "I think it might be the seal."

"Marvelous!"

If Angry Raine had scared her students, she instantly became a kitten against Ruin Mode Raine.

"The structure around this slab is still intact, and the slab itself! Oh, this slab! It must be polycarbonate, used in the Ancient War to deflect magic. Ooh, it feels so wondrous! Oh? Oh? What's this… Battle marks! The scars from a magical attack are still here! This is an amazing find!"

For once, it appeared as if Kratos had something he wanted to say but could not find the words to express himself. Lloyd and Luke were just as dumbstruck as he was. Genis, on the other hand, seemed to have anticipated this and groaned.

"I tried so hard to hide it…" He lamented. Kratos blinked at the small half-elven boy.

"So this what a famed ruin-maniac looks like." He commented, amused.

"A what?" Lloyd blurted. "You mean there are other people who are crazy like the Professor?"

"That's not how I would put it, but I'm afraid so."

Luckily, Raine was too busy rubbing her face against the polycarbonate to even register that they might have just insulted her. She suddenly noticed the pedestal Colette pointed to earlier and ran up to it to inspect it even more.

"Oh? This reads… 'Oracle Stone'. And this depression… Colette, place your hand here."

"Is that safe, Professor?" Lloyd asked. "What if something pops out and attacks?"

"Lloyd, don't be stupid." Luke scoffed. "They already popped out at you."

"We should be on guard in case Lloyd is right." Kratos said. Luke stared at him. Did he just agree with Lloyd? Meanwhile, Colette complied and placed her hand on the impression. The polycarbonate slab rumbled and groaned with life before receding. Dust and stale air belched out from the hole and once it cleared, they could see stairs leading down into the ruins. Raine was going crazy. Lloyd was positively boiling over with excitement over some old ruins. Kratos had agreed with Lloyd earlier. Luke was certain only he, Colette, and Genis were the only sane ones on the trip.

"Wow! I guess this means I really am the Chosen!"

Scratch that, only he and Genis were sane. Regardless, they all entered the stuffy ruin. Lloyd managed to not run his batteries as dry as the desert they were in despite how much he ran around. His excitement was compounded when he discovered the key to reaching the seal was to light things on fire. Needless to say, Luke felt like jumping into the lava below. That would be much more cooler than staying with Lloyd. He even opened a chest which turned out to be a Fake. Luckily, Genis easily defeated it with his magic before the brunet was killed by random junk. Before Luke could seriously consider suicide by hot lava, they managed to solve the final puzzle and reach the warp. Raine was ready to spazz over the ancient architecture, but the seal and the room shook violently. Suddenly, three fire monsters akin to large cats appeared, the two smaller ones clearly the underlings of the large one.

"Genis, Raine, stay in the back and keep casting." Kratos immediately commanded. "Lloyd, Luke, go for the smaller ones and make sure they don't get to the Sages. Colette, back them up." Leaving no room for argument, blocked the large Ktugach's charge. Luke and Lloyd immediately split up and went after their own Ktugachling.

"Barrier!" Raine cried. A thin, magical barrier appeared around Lloyd, and later Luke gained his own, followed by Kratos and Colette. Luke constantly blocked and countered the teeth of his Ktuagachling, so very much thankful Raine reminded him and Lloyd to get real swords. Not only would the seal guardians splinter those wooden swords, they could also light them on fire from a distance. He soon killed it, watching it disappear in a black and white cloud with a shudder. Lloyd disposed of his shortly beforehand and the two joined Kratos for the main course. The man had obviously done a good job fending off the large beast even without Colette's support. Now that there were five assaulting it and someone helping them in the back, the monster soon joined its smaller counterparts. The seal soon opened, and at that moment, Luke stopped hearing everything.

'What the—'

Nothing came out. He only heard a soft ringing in his ears, and a soft tune that stimulated the recesses of his memories. He saw Remiel descend after the bright red light that came from the seal when he heard more than the melody.

_Luke… my sc…n… Rem….s….Don….en to…..im…._

Wings burst from Colette's back and it felt like they would explode from Luke's head as well. He would have screamed and passed out had it not been for the melody taking the pain away. The awe of watching Colette floating in the air helped distract him from the pounding headache as well. When Remiel disappeared and Colette returned to the floor, the headache ebbed away and his hearing slowly came back.

"…has wings!" was the first thing he heard. "But man, that's got to be a huge pain to live with. What if they become like Remiel's? Then you'd have to cut holes in all your clothes."

Colette giggled at Lloyd's speculation. "No worries, I can put them away."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Genis praised. He and Colette began playing with her wings, the former feeling the mana while the latter released and withdrew her wings. Luke rolled his eyes and expected Lloyd to join in. To his surprise, his dwarven gear wearing nut of a brother was discussing where the next destination would be with Raine and Kratos. Between what happened earlier at the entrance and what was happening now, he was now certain he was the only sane one. But was he? It was the second time he had a painful headache when Remiel showed up and this time he heard weird things. He wondered if he should tell someone, but it seemed selfish. Colette was turning into an angel and he was worried about himself. Colette had other dangers ahead, and if he couldn't focus on her, she could get hurt. So he dismissed it as paranoia. Even if it happened at the next seal, and the next after that, that brought the world closer to being regenerated. He'd just have to deal with the minor headaches and voices.

"Hey, if you two are done, we got to go." Lloyd said to Genis and Colette, which also snapped Luke from his deep thinking.

The trip out of the Triet Ruins was much faster than running around and lighting things on fire. Once at the exit, Colette suddenly collapsed.

"Colette!"

"I'm fine, Lloyd…"

"No you're not, you're really pale!" Genis gasped. "This is all my fault, I made you keep puling your new wings in and out."

"Her lips are already discoloring…" Raine noted. "Hurry, let's get her to a doctor—"

"No." All eyes were on Kratos. "That angel mentioned there was a trial the Chosen must undergo during the angelic transformation. This must be a part of it. It would be best if we didn't move her for the time being."

Angelic transformation? Luke's head began to pound again, this time he was unable to suppress a groan as he too collapsed.

* * *

><p>Frankly, Luke had been embarrassed by his little display. He somehow managed to convince everyone that he was just exhausted. Lloyd took the longest to convince. At the camp site before dinner, Lloyd took Luke aside for an inquisition.<p>

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Luke, are you sure? What the heck happened earlier with you?"

"I just got a huge headache from how stuffy it was in there."

"Luke, you know better than to lie. Dwarven vow seven!"

"I know! Just… Could you not tell anyone? I don't want them to worry about me when there's more important things going on."

"Luke…"

"Just promise me!"

Lloyd sighed. "Fine. But if it's serious, I have to tell the others."

"Don't worry, it's not." Luke took a deep breath, still doubting whether he really should tell his brother. But Lloyd was the type to forget about small details. "I got a really bad headache when Remiel showed up."

"Worse than at the temple?"

Luke froze. Lloyd remembered that incident? He couldn't remember to make a birthday present but he remembered when the redhead had a headache?

"No. I think it's just the magic of the seal that's making my head get all weird. You know, it might be my mana."

Lloyd frowned. He still seemed dubious of how much truth Luke was telling, but he knew better than to press it. He suspected Luke and Colette were more similar than he originally thought. They shared the same smile when they tried to conceal their feelings. Since Luke did share, it didn't seem to be that big of an issue with him. "Okay, but if it gets worse, tell me." He finally said. Luke grinned and half hugged him.

"Didn't mean to make you worry." He said softly.

"You worry me all the time anyway."

The shorter Irving just laughed. "Yeah, and you make me worry too."

"So we're even!"

Raine watched them from afar. Genis somehow wrestled cooking duty away from her, leaving the teacher to her own devices. She couldn't hear them, but she could read the mood of their conversation from their body language. Lloyd was definitely worried while Luke was trying to hide something. As they continued to talk, Luke slowly turned from his brother, as if he didn't want to be found, and then suddenly jerked to face him. Lloyd had nearly jumped back in surprise, and started scratching his head while Luke dared not move a muscle, indicating there was some sort of compromise to be made. As the conversation continued, Raine could practically see the gears in Lloyd's head turning. They seemed to make up after that, causing the teacher to sigh. She wondered how a pair of boys could manage to be simple but complicated at the same time. After that, Lloyd went to talk to Kratos while Luke approached her.

"Hey Professor." He greeted cheerfully.

"What can I do for you, Luke?"

"Is there something wrong with my mana?"

The silver haired woman stared at him hard. He seemed nervous and a little worried. He was still a little pale from when he passed out, but was recovering quickly. "Why do you ask? Are you still not feeling well?"

"I'm feeling better, but I just found it funny that I felt sick the same time Colette did, and she's supposed to endure that trial or whatever."

"I see… Well I don't sense anything out of the ordinary with your mana." Raine finally concluded. Relief spread over his face. "But if you start to feel worse, tell me right away."

Luke scratched at the back of his head, a little embarrassed by her concern for his well being. "I will, but you shouldn't worry about me. Colette's health is more important. She must be hurting more."

Raine closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Not even Lloyd managed to get Luke's self-worth back on track. "Understood." He seemed to cheer up a little at that.

"Okay then. I'm going to talk to Kratos now. A—About training."

"That would be wise."

As soon as Lloyd finished speaking with the man, Luke scrambled over to him.

"Hey, Kratos!" He greeted.

"If you don't mind me being straight forward, I'd like to ask you something." The mercenary greeted. Luke blinked, but shrugged, signaling the man to proceed. "Lloyd told me how your father found the two of you. I was curious if you remember anything from that time."

"It was a long time ago." Luke answered with a frown. "I hardly remember stuff from when I was four."

"I see…"

"Why do you want to know?" Luke asked suspiciously.

"You look familiar." Kratos said. "It's possible I've met your blood relatives in the past."

This revelation startled Luke. Kratos was a mercenary, so he probably did go around the world a few times. Flaming red hair and bright green eyes was an unusual combination, so it was likely to stick to his memory.

"W—When? Where!"

"I'm sorry, it was a long time ago."

He had to let the facts sink in before coherency returned. Luke swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked up at Kratos' passive face, and then back to the ground. His blood relatives could be alive. He honestly never thought about them, even when they went to talk to Lloyd's mother's grave. A million thoughts ran through his mind at once. Where could the be? Were they still alive? What were they like? How did he end up with Lloyd and his mother? Where was Lloyd's father?

"Luke?" Kratos' voice snapped him back to reality. Luke nearly stumbled over in surprise.

"Huh? Oh sorry, I just…"

"No, I should apologize. I shouldn't have brought it up."

The redheads avoided eye contact with each other. They were silent for a while until Luke spoke up again.

"Have you seen anyone who looks like Lloyd?" He snuck a quick peek at Kratos.

"I'm afraid I haven't."

"Then… I'll keep my eyes open for them. For my blood relatives and for Lloyd's." There was something on the older man's face that Luke couldn't read.

"Don't let it get in the way of this journey then." Kratos warned. Luke pouted and folded his arms.

"I'm plenty capable you know."

Kratos just grunted in acknowledgement. Luke could have sworn it was a challenge, but thought nothing more of it. He didn't trust him yet, but he was starting to warm up to him.

"Dinner is ready." The man said in an attempt to change the subject and shoo Luke away. "You'll need it to regain your strength after passing out like that."

The teen made a face at him in lieu of a good argument or comeback. He honestly didn't feel hungry, but Kratos was right. He had to eat to regain his strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep up with Lloyd, and Lloyd shoveled food away like nobody's business. He turned around and headed back to the campfire, where his aforementioned brother was decimating the food on his plate. He grabbed the plate Genis offered him, quietly thanking the smaller boy, and began to eat. Strangely, his taste buds didn't protest as they normally did. In fact, they didn't even tell him anything. It was like they were sleeping, but all the better. This meant he could eat more and regain more energy. At least that's what the part of the brain that channeled Lloyd told him. His more logical side of the brain sent alerts to the rest of his brain that was undecided on the issue. At that moment, he recalled Kratos' words and the Lloyd side of his brain won over. He shoveled the rest of his meal down his throat, which seemed to garner the real Lloyd's attention.

"Whoa Luke, you're packing it away." The brunet gaped. "I thought you didn't like tofu curry."

"I don't." the redhead replied and made a face. "But I got to get more energy somehow. I figured since we can't afford to oversleep, I might as well pig out like you do."

"I do not pig out!"

"I'm going to have to agree with Luke on this one." Genis teased.

"Stay out of this, Genis!"

"Fine, no seconds for you."

"Huh—Hey, I didn't mean it like that, you can't take away my seconds!"

All worries Luke had soon melted away around the fire. He had his friends and his brother here. He truly was curious about his blood family, but he had no image of them in his head. They were important of course, but compared to what he had right here, they didn't matter. With Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Raine, and even Kratos, he felt as if he was worth something, and that was all he ever needed. The fire died down and it was soon time for sleep. Lloyd rejoined Luke's side after Colette declined his offer to take her out on a walk.

"Hey, if it weren't for Genis, she would have said yes."

"S—Shut up and go to sleep!"

They nestled into their separate mats without another fight. The lull of sleep had not claimed Luke yet, allowing his thoughts to run free again. He thought about that angel Remiel and the strange headaches he had whenever he appeared. The voice he heard that time was strangely familiar, as if he heard it a long time ago. Unconsciously, he began humming the bits of the tune he heard from that encounter.

"Hey, that's the lullaby you used to sing."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, it was really nice."

"What were the words again?"

"Hey, if you don't remember it, how the heck am I supposed to remember it? You're the one who sang it."

A new depth to the mystery had been added. He heard a song he used to sing when he was little whenever Remiel came down. The voice he heard was so familiar even though he couldn't put a face to it. Kratos mentioned his blood relatives could be alive. Were they all connected somehow? Thinking about it allowed the tune to resound through his mind, and eventually pull him to the land of dreams.

* * *

><p>Whoa, long update time that time around. Still, the update period is shorter than We Come in Peace. Soon Resound will lap it, but whatever. No one cares about that story anyway.<p>

The truth is, I've been working on designs for another crossover, only for Vesperia and Abyss. I had an idea for Vesperia and Symphonia, but aside from Flynn and Yuri in the Meltokio slums, it didn't go anywhere. I've worked through a bit of it, so I'll have more motivation to work on Resound after that's either started or abandoned. (6/16/11)


	5. Strepitoso

For those of you who were wondering, the chapter titles are musical terms I found off Wikipedia. Prelude is a musical introduction as most know, Cambiare is "to change", Ruvido is "roughly", and Acceso is "ignited/on fire". This chapter, Strepitoso, is "noisy, forceful."

By the way, you get melons in this chapter.

* * *

><p>He was in darkness again. The purple fog surrounded him and the stench of death was in the air. Luke took a step forward, wincing at the soft crunch of unknown material beneath his feet. A metallic echoing and glass crunching soon replaced the sound of gravel and sand. He was in a Desian base this time. Walls and walls of machines formed a maze. He could feel the cold from the glass tubes filled with unknown liquids and blurry figures. Suddenly there was crying. To his horror, he realized it was a baby's wail. He wondered why there was a baby in a Desian base and was sickened by the idea. Then, the crying multiplied. He ran to find the source, but it grew in intensity. He tripped, landing on the floor painlessly. In front of him was one of the babies, crying. He tried to pick it up and soothe its pain, but it was limp in his arms. The infant was dead. Before he could cry himself, he heard soft groans. He felt tiny hands grab his feet, but he could not see the bodies they belonged to. He was sinking into the floor again.<p>

"Luke, Luke!"

Luke tried to shake off the hands touching him and felt his fist connect with something hard.

"Ow! Luke! Wake up!"

Green eyes snapped open and frantically searched around.

"Oh, it's just you." Luke sighed, putting a hand on his chest to calm his heart down. Lloyd punched him in the arm. "Ow, hey!"

"That's for socking me in the face." Lloyd triumphantly declared.

"Didn't think you could have felt something through that thick skull of yours." Luke retaliated. "Geez, now my arm _and_ my fist hurt." The brunet rolled his eyes and shoved him back onto his mattress. The Chosen's group decided to stop at Triet on the way to better rest and restock their inventory. Fortunately, they returned to the desert town at night and the adults were forced to book rooms for the weary teens. Genis and Raine already left the inn earlier that morning to buy ingredients while Kratos and Colette went to buy necessary gels and bottles, leaving Lloyd and Luke at the inn.

"That must have been some intense nightmare." The junior craftsman commented. "You kept turning and wouldn't wake up. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't really remember it." Luke shrugged. "All I really do remember is being dragged somewhere. That's probably why I hit you. Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, no hard feelings." It was positively fascinating how fast those two made up.

Lloyd decided to split and help Colette and Kratos by extension, leaving his adopted brother to his own devices. He took a stroll down to the lake since he didn't have the chance to do so before, spying Raine attempting to haggle with a food stand. His eyes wandered over to a tent across from the lake, which grew bigger and bigger before he realized he was unconsciously walking over to it. Overcome by curiosity, he ducked under the tent flaps and was greeted by a woman behind a crystal ball.

"I've been waiting for you, child." The woman greeted with a smile. "You have travelled such a long way to get here. Please, sit."

Luke stared at her uncomfortably. "No thanks, I'd rather stand."

"Very well then." She chuckled. "I'll get straight to it then." She stared into her crystal ball, eyes misty as she hummed to herself. "You will soon reunite with a dear friend who will help you uncover your origins."

"Reunite with a dear friend? But I'm already travelling…" Then it hit him. He remembered what Kratos had told him after he passed out. He remembered that the older man asked if he remembered anything before Dirk and Lloyd. What this what he meant? That Luke was with someone before becoming separated? He felt a lump form in his throat that prevented him from speaking. He looked at the fortuneteller for answers, but she only smiled sadly at him.

"Remember child, the answer may or may not be a pleasant." She warned.

"No matter what, I have the right to know."

"Yes… Well then, dear child, your friends are waiting." The fortuneteller waved Luke away, and he disappeared from under the tent flap as soon as he entered it. He felt strange leaving so soon, but he had to think about what she had foretold. He slapped his senses back to life just in time to meet up with Genis and Raine, the latter of whom had successfully bargained down for a large amount of groceries. The Iselia teacher proceeded to rope him into carrying most of the groceries back for them. Despite the heavy load in his arms, he couldn't help but think about the fortuneteller's words some more. He was still bouncing when they met up with Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos and continued to bounce out of Triet. Luke's good mood only faltered once he remembered how hot travelling through the desert was again. He was glad Noishe was carrying some of the bags; otherwise, he was sure they would barely make it to their next destination.

Ossa Trail was a well welcomed change in environment. It was less sandy, had trees, and most importantly, wasn't hot. Just as things were looking better, a loud voice caught their attention.

"Stop!" On a ledge above, a girl stood as menacingly as she could. To Luke, she hardly looked threatening at with her giant pink bow. She demanded to know if one of them was the Chosen and Colette naively revealed herself. It all happened too quickly. The girl on the ledge charged with great speed and would arrive to strike her target before he or Lloyd could respond. She would have been successful had it not been for Colette's legendary clumsiness. The young chosen tripped over her own feet, her hands just landing on a small lever that opened a trap door. The poor assassin didn't stand a chance. With a scream, she fell down into the dark pit.

"Oh…" Colette groaned worryingly. "I'm so sorry!"

"Is… she going to be okay?" Lloyd wondered, hoping to calm the blonde down.

"Probably. She didn't look that heavy and the hole doesn't look that deep." Genis answered after giving some thought.

"Meh, she has those melons to break her fall." Luke added carelessly.

"Melons?" Colette said, now distracted. "I didn't see any fruit on her." Suddenly, seven eyes were glaring intensely at shorter Irving.

"A—Anyway, we shouldn't stay here!" he coughed, his face turning as red as his hair.

"Lloyd, did you see her holding any fruit?"

* * *

><p>Climbing up Ossa Trail proved to be more trying than initially thought. With the poor footing, tiny paths, and Colette's clumsiness, there had been too many near accidents for anyone's liking. The bottom of the other side of the hill was a sight for sore eyes. Lloyd ran ahead, rejoicing their return to definitely solid ground.<p>

"Lloyd, wait!" Kratos grunted, running to jerk the teen back. Before Lloyd could protest his scarf abuse, a large wooden gate came crashing down where he had been. The assassin stood at the entrance of a tunnel triumphantly.

"I finally found you!" She declared. Ignoring Raine, Colette ran up to her with a few gald coins.

"Here, this is to replace your fruit." She said cheerfully. The assassin stared at her perplexedly. "Luke said you had some melons to break your fall. It's my fault your food supply got damaged." She seemed to stop listening once the blonde mentioned the word "melons" and turned red.

"Uhh, Colette, you shouldn't—"

The ninja cut Lloyd off, snarling at him. "Which one of you is Luke!" Luke raised his hand to point at Lloyd, but found that everyone was already pointing at him. He swallowed the sense of doom that caught in his throat. Without hesitating, the purple wearing girl charged at him with murderous intent. He only managed to grab her hands to stop them from strangling him. "Pervert, I'll kill you!"

"If you hate perverts so much, you shouldn't go around wearing something like that!" Luke gasped, trying to counter. Unfortunately, this only made her angrier.

"So you admit to looking, huh!"

It took only one moment of hesitation on Luke's part for the assassin to grab the front of his shirt and fling him at a tree.

"Now that the pervert's taken care of, it's your turn, Chosen of Mana!" The black haired girl pulled out a card and almost immediately, a strange monster with some kind of wheel appeared in front of her. "Guardian-Wind!" She took out another card and charged at Colette. Lloyd swooped in to block her as Colette fumbled for her chakrams. Genis immediately began casting while Raine prepared the party with stat buffs. It took a moment for Luke to recover from being stunned from getting thrown into a tree, but he hastily joined the fray. Kratos seemed to be the only one handling the Guardian-Wind while Lloyd and Genis focused on keeping that assassin away from Colette. The younger redhead immediately went after the Guardian-Wind, finding it less disconcerting to fight it than the woman. Somehow, he managed to coordinate with Kratos enough to dodge the monster's attacks while landing a combo. It soon fell, disappearing upon its defeat. The assassin noticed the battle had turned against her and skillfully leapt away when she saw Kratos and Luke approach.

"Can't believe I have to retreat." She muttered. "Next time I'll kill all of you!" For some reason, Luke felt her glare was mostly directed towards him rather than Colette. Before anyone could react, she threw a smoke bomb to the floor, vanishing before the cloud dissipated.

"Colette, are you okay?" Lloyd finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm fine, Lloyd." She replied uneasily. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gently squeeze.

"Why was she after Colette?" Luke wondered out loud. "We're trying to save the world."

"…There are some who do not believe in salvation." Kratos commented. "They still reject the Church of Martel and will do anything to disprove the Goddess."

"Like a Desian." Genis speculated. He looked over at his sister for her opinion but was surprised by her silence. She seemed to be thinking of something else entirely. "Raine?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was thinking the same thing." She said dismissively. "In any case, we shouldn't stay here too long. If that girl was a Desian, she could be calling for an ambush right now."

"Agreed." Kratos said. "We've wasted enough time."

It was almost cruel the way Kratos pushed them. Even Raine didn't seem to want to arrive at their next destination, a small town called Izoold. She seemed to get green every time someone mentioned it. At Izoold, they managed to board a ship headed towards Palmacosta. Lloyd nudged Luke, constantly pointing out how nervous their teacher was while on the ship, and how relieved she was when they finally landed at the Palmacosta docks.

"I'm telling you, she probably got seasick." Luke dismissed.

"Wouldn't she have been green and puking if she was seasick?" Lloyd countered. "Like in the comics."

"If you boys are done speculating, I suggest we ask around for information." Raine announced loudly, clearing her throat.

Walking around Palmacosta was an interesting experience to say the least. It was a refreshing break from the desert and even the rural Iselia. Colette skipped ahead of the rest, enjoying herself. However, as soon as she turned the corner, the rest of the group heard her short gasp and glass shattering.

"Hey, we just got that Palma Potion!" Another woman shrieked. "You clumsy fool, you better replace it!"

Colette scrambled to her feet and bowed quickly. "I'm sorry! I'll go get ano—"

"That ain't enough!" A man roared. The poor Chosen squeaked, nearly jumping. "It'll cost ya more than just a replacement!"

"She apologized and offered to get a new one, what else do you want?" Lloyd argued. "Talk about unreasonable." The older man growled, baring his muscles.

"What did you say!"

"He said you're an idiot." Luke huffed. "It's just a potion."

"I'll show you just a potion, you little punks!"

Fortunately, another woman of the group held the man back.

"You're proving them right." She warned. "We need to leave this place as soon as we can."

The woman Colette crashed into nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let them replace it for us."

"I'll be back as soon as possible!" Colette said quickly and ran off to find a store. The others went to follow, but the man grabbed Luke's arm.

"Hey!" he cried indignantly.

"Nuh uh, you're staying here so they come back pretty boy." The man sneered.

"Colette's trustworthy, unlike you." Luke shot back angrily. He instantly regretted it as he saw the man lift up another hand to strike him. Again, the same woman who held her companion back earlier smacked him with her staff.

"You're drawing attention!" She hissed. He lowered his arm apologetically towards her, but tightened his grip on Luke.

"Ow! What are you trying to do, squeeze my arm off?"

"You're a noisy one."

"It only seems that way since your head is so empty, everything just echoes up there!"

"I suggest that the both of you be quiet until we get our replacement potion." The woman said loudly with a sickeningly sweet voice. She held her staff up threateningly. It was clear she was the spellcaster of their group. Luke gulped, but continued to glare. After a while, Lloyd returned with a new bottle of Palma Potion. As he passed the bottle over, he swiftly caught Luke, who had been roughly thrown back to them.

"I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience." Colette apologized. The woman she bumped into huffed.

"It better not happen again."

"It won't!"

Once they left, Luke crossed his arms and pouted.

"You really shouldn't have replaced it." He said. "It must have cost a fortune."

Colette looked down guilty and muttered another apology.

"We have to avoid all the conflict we can." Kratos calmly explained. "The Chosen must complete the Journey of Regeneration in a timely manner, no matter the cost."

"Indeed." Raine added. "Let's continue, we've wasted enough time already."

The group decided to split up, with Kratos and Raine taking Colette to see Governor-General Door and Lloyd, Genis, and Luke to check the church for clues. Inside, a girl working to the side recognized Lloyd and Genis when they approached her.

"You two were in the store earlier, weren't you?" She asked sheepishly. "I'm sorry that you had to see that, but those Desians really burn me up."

"I know what you mean." Lloyd sighed. "But aren't you afraid they'll come to destroy the city?"

The girl blinked and then smiled. "You must be new to the area. The guy in control of this area, Magnius already reached his death count limit. He can't harm us until next year."

"They have death count limits?" Luke questioned with a brow raised.

"They need prisoners for something." She answered grimly. "If they kill us all, they won't have workers." She perked up, realizing that she hadn't seen Luke before. "Oh I'm sorry, I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Chocolat, I work as a pilgrim tour guide when I'm not helping out at the shop."

"I'm Luke, this is my brother Lloyd and our friend Genis."

"Well boys, would you like to take a tour?"

"About that!" Genis interjected quickly. "Where do you take people on the pilgrimage tour? Do you guys follow the Chosen's journey?"

"We do!"

"Then do you know where the Chosen's supposed to go?"

Chocolat rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously. "We don't go to the exact locations. Those are only for the Chosen and the Church of Martel to know. We just follow the Houses of Salvations to simulate the long journey the Chosen goes on. The ritual is sacred you know."

With that, the three boys said their thanks and left, disappointed by their lack of progress.

"What do we do now?" Luke moaned in despair. "We lost out on a lot of money and we don't even know where we're supposed to be going."

"Let's just wait for Colette and the professor." Lloyd said, putting Luke in a headlock. "Maybe they found something."

* * *

><p>Fortunately, the other group had a lead. Unfortunately, it would take them on a slight detour to Hakonesia Peak. With what little funds they had left, the group had to stock up on supplies only and make up on their lost funds by taking Lloyd and Luke's frustration out on the unsuspecting monsters. Why monsters had gald in the first place was beyond their imagination, but it was a good way to relieve stress and make money at the same time. Their rhythm was soon interrupted however, when they spotted some thieves bullying a pilgrim.<p>

"Hey, back off!" Lloyd shouted, swiping at a ranger. Kratos quickly charged their mage, sending her running off to safety while her comrades were taking a beating from an apologetic Colette and an unapologetic Luke. They too ran off, dropping the gald they were attempting to steal from the young pilgrim. Luke dropped to his knee to check on him.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The young boy wore simple clothes, indicating he was just a traveler. He did have strange hair clips for long strands of dark green hair at the sides of his face. He opened his eyes, revealing bright green orbs that rivaled Luke's own. They stared at his in surprise.

"Lorelei?" the boy whispered, almost too afraid to believe.

"Er… Sorry, no." Luke hesitantly answered. He felt a pang of sadness when the boy's expression drooped.

"You'll have to forgive me." He apologized. "You look remarkably like someone I travelled with before."

Luke felt his heart stop. A person who looked similar to him? Krato's words raced through his mind. Lloyd went over and handed the boy his gald back.

"What happened?" he asked, frowning. "Where did all your friends go?"

"I don't know." The boy replied sadly. "We had a fight at Palmacosta, so everyone left me there."

"That's awful!" Colette gasped. Raine simply looked at him with scrutiny, though Luke could have sworn he saw a hint of pity in her eyes.

"Please don't think badly of them." He said guiltily. "It was my fault we were fighting, so this is my punishment. I suppose I'll have to go back to Palmacosta and wait for the next Pilgrimage group."

"You were going on a Pilgrimage?" Genis asked.

"Yes. I'm studying to be a priest for the Church of Martel."

"That's pretty cool." Lloyd said. "We're going on a journey too. Colette here is—"

"Also a devote follower of Martel." Raine interrupted, glaring at Lloyd. The boy seemed to brighten some more at this.

"Are you also going on a Pilgrimage? Would it be too much to ask to join you?"

"We're not going on the regular Pilgrimage." Kratos objected. "If you wish to become a priest, then you will have to go back to Palmacosta."

"Where are you heading now?" He quickly inquired.

"We're going to Hakonesia Peak for now." Luke answered.

"I see… The next pilgrimage location is Asgard." The boy said pensively. "May I ask again that I join you up until that point? It would be easier than going back to Palmacosta."

"Of course!" Colette exclaimed before the adults could protest. "What's your name?"

"It's Ion. Ion Freyr."

On the way to the House of Salvation between Palmacosta and Hakonesia Peak, Ion had primarily stayed by Luke's side. During battle, Luke immediately jumped in front of the smaller boy protectively and made sure no harm fell upon him. Ion seemed to be amused, even happy, by this, always smiling gently and thanking him for his efforts when the battle was over.

"You don't have to do this." He said while bandaging the scratches Luke received from the battles

"Don't worry about it." Luke scoffed. "I mean that Lorelei person would have done the same thing, right?"

Ion simply smiled sadly, his eyes staring far into space. "Yes. Yes he would." He shook his head and looked back at Luke. "You need to be more careful. That girl could have killed you."

The redhead winced. When the group finally arrived at the Palmacosta House of Salvation, the female assassin who targeted them earlier had been there. Thanks to Lloyd, she didn't out right attack him or Colette and even got her name out of her. Unfortunately for Luke, she went out of her way to knock into him on her way out.

"She's just weird." Luke hastily dismissed. "I mean, what kind of name is Sheena?"

"But you don't find it strange that I know a boy named Lorelei?"

The silence that fell afterwards resumed for the rest of the night. Luke did want to ask Ion more about this Lorelei fellow, but was strangely hesitant. He remembered the fortuneteller's words.

_You will soon reunite with a dear friend who will help you uncover your origins._

He wanted to know.

_The answer may or may not be a pleasant_

But was it really worth the risk? Was it worth going out of his way just to find out? He had a family—Lloyd and Dirk were the best brother and father he could ever ask for. The dilemma was beginning to gnaw away at him, but he soon drifted off to sleep…

* * *

><p>"<em>Can we talk?"<em>

_It was Ion. _

"_Sure… What's wrong?"_

"_Is it really okay for me to travel with you? The Journey of Regeneration is important, too important for a ha—"_

"_Don't say that about yourself! You're a valuable team member and my friend." _

"_The others won't like this. That mercenary has already objected to my presence." _

"_Who cares what he thinks, he's just a mercenary! Besides, if anyone else says or does something about it, I'll defend you."_

_Ion smiled and laughed softly. _

"_Thank you, L—"_

"Luke, wake up!"

Luke's eyes fluttered open, immediately shutting from the sudden light intake. He squinted to adjust to the brightness, finally resolving his vision on a grinning Lloyd.

"You were grinning in your sleep." The brunet informed. "Dreamt of that chicken from a few nights ago?"

"Who do you think I am, you?" Luke retorted, feigning indignation. The two laughed and wrestled with Genis doing sarcastic commentary. Kratos frowned with disapproval.

"You two are going to be late for breakfast." He said. On cue, Lloyd dropped Luke on the bed and zoomed past Kratos through the door.

"Really, you both are such kids." Genis chastised. Ion laughed.

"They are still young." Ion said softly. "They may not have another chance to do this later."

"You may be right," Kratos conceded briefly. "But they need to learn to be responsible." Luke made a face at him when he turned around. "And don't think I didn't see that, Luke."

Genis and Ion only laughed when Luke scrambled back in surprise.

"We better hurry before Lloyd eats everything." Genis managed to suggest through his laughter.

Once they finished eating and cleaning up, the group hiked the rest of the way to their destination. The guards at the road pointed them to a shack to the side, refusing to budge from their spots. Inside, an old man greeted them, flashing smiles at Raine and Colette and glares at all the boys.

"Looking for the road passes?" He asked with a toothy grin. "They're a hundred million gald per person!"

"Who the hell has that kind of money!" Lloyd demanded.

"How barbaric!" the man declared, taken aback by Lloyd's outrage. "This is why I hate men!"

"So even those on pilgrimage can't make it past here." Raine commented, giving Ion a pitying look.

"Oh, a site for sore eyes." The man sighed with a slight swoon. "If it's a pilgrimage you're going on, you should join the Asgard Ruin Tour with the Palmacosta travel agency."

"So that's what's going on." Genis accused. "You and the agency are holding a monopoly here!"

"I won't tolerate this behavior." The man roared. "Either you pay up or get out!"

Giving him a disgusted look, the group turned to leave, but Colette noticed something in the corner.

"Hmm? That's an old scripture…"

The man looked Colette over and brightened immediately.

"Why yes my beautiful maiden!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Your eyes are as good as they look! I bought this from the Chosen of Mana herself, who was here not too long ago. This is the records of the legendary Spiritua's own Journey of Regeneration. That Dorr was too much of a stubborn fool to give it to me. Ah, it was so fortunate the Chosen was willing to part with such an important relic!"

After arguing and bargaining, they struck the man, Koton, with a deal. Colette, and only Colette could look at the scriptures if they brought him the statue of Spiritua from the Palmacosta House of Salvation. When they exited the shack, Ion cleared his throat.

"I must thank you for bringing me here." He said, bowing respectfully to them. "I would like to ask if I may tag along on the way back to Palmacosta, but I don't want to be a burden on you."

"What are you talking about?" Luke said. "You're not a burden to us."

"Thank you Luke, but I have overstayed my welcome." Ion replied with a sad smile. "I can tell you're not on a regular pilgrimage. Otherwise, you wouldn't barter to look at Spiritua's records." He chuckled a little at Raine's uneasy look. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It's none of my business."

"You should still stay!" Lloyd protested. "There's no reason you should go out on your own now."

"Luke and Lloyd are right." Genis argued. "You're not hurting us or slowing us down."

"Yes, please stay with us!" Colette pleaded.

"They are adamant about this." Raine whispered to Kratos. The mercenary nodded. "It would also be irresponsible to leave him alone after this. As a teacher, I can't overlook this."

"But as someone who is supposed to ensure success?"

The Sage did not answer his question. Kratos seemed to consider it for a while, closing his visible eye in thought.

"He may prove to be a good motivator to complete the journey." He finally concluded. Raine silently agreed .

"Ion, can you fight?" He asked directly.

"I can." Ion answered with conviction. Kratos nodded, satisfied by his tone and answer.

"Then if you want to come with us, you may." The man said with finality. "However, if you fall behind, don't expect us to stop for you."

"Kratos!" Luke protested.

"Don't worry Luke, I won't fall behind." The small boy reassured.

"Welcome to the group Ion!" Lloyd cheered, slapping the poor boy on the back. Genis and Colette gave him a big smile, which he returned with his own.

"Let's head back to Palmacosta now." Raine interrupted. "As much as I'd hate to, but we should at least see if we can get those road passes from the travel agency instead."

A group of men and women perked up when they heard her announcement.

"I'd stay away from Palmacosta for a while if I were you." A man warned. "Desians are heading over there right now."

"You're kidding!" Genis exclaimed, groaning.

"That's not all…" A woman added, her voice filled with worry. "I heard the leader of the nearby Human Ranch, Magnius, is leading them over."

"Magnius…" Lloyd whispered. Luke glanced at his brother. He knew what the brunet as thinking.

"We're staying here until it blows over." The man said. "You guys should do the same."

"We don't have a choice." Lloyd growled. "We can intercept them and—"

"And get killed?" Kratos finished, glaring. "This is none of our business and an unnecessary risk."

"But we can't just wait for it to end!" Luke countered. "We don't even know what they're doing, how do we know when it's safe? We went on this journey know there'd be risks, even you knew there would be risks! There are Desians everywhere, we can't avoid them all!"

"How can we regenerate the world when we can't help those in front of us?" Lloyd added.

"Please, Kratos." Colette pleaded. "We have to help them! I can't just stand here when people are getting hurt."

Kratos sighed, rubbing his temples. "…Very well then." He turned to Ion, trying to read his face. Ion stared back, blinking, but was unfazed by the sudden attention. "Do you still want to go with us?"

"As a follower of Martel, I cannot ignore people in need." The small boy responded. "It goes against my teachings and my principle." There was something strange in his voice, but Luke couldn't tell what it was. However, he could tell there was a lot of power in his words.

* * *

><p>Well that on longer than I expected and wanted. Sorry about the long time between updates, I know I lost you guys now. Oh well. (1117/11)


	6. Chiuso

Thanks for sticking around guys, I really appreciate it!

Extra thanks to SheenaMalfoy for critique. I wrote those quick blobs because I felt detailing that wasn't essential and would only pad up the content. I don't want it to become so long that it unconsciously burdens my writing process, if that makes any sense. If it's really that jarring, I'll try to write more filler to deepen characters I haven't really focused on, although I can't guarantee I can do Kratos very well.

As for why Luke has an irrational distrust for Kratos, it's an unconscious reaction that has to do with his real family. That's all I'm going to say right now on that subject.

"Chiuso" – closed; muted

* * *

><p>Thanks to Noishe's cooperation, the Chosen's entourage arrived at Palmacosta House of Salvation for shelter for the night and to inquire about the statue of Spiritua Koton wanted. To their shock, a priest revealed the statue they currently had was a fake.<p>

"Dad, what kind of jobs are you doing?" Lloyd sighed dejectedly. He hung from Luke's shoulders for emotional support.

"He did it for us." The redhead replied hollowly, trying to comfort the two of them. The two quickly got over it in time to continue their rush back to Palmacosta.

Ion had fulfilled his promise to carry his own weight by participating in battles, carrying supplies, and quickly tending to wounds. He fought with his bare hands, delivering his blows with amazing precision and accuracy. However, he often had to retreat to the back in a coughing fit, which minimized his performance and participation in battle. Raine watched him carefully. He was often pale by the end of the battle, breathing hard, but forcing himself to move on. While he did fight well, it was clear the boy was not used to it. She could also sense the magic potential in him. He had Elven blood, but if he wasn't using it, she knew he was afraid. She surmised that may have been the cause for his exile from his earlier group. She wondered what it was like for him. While she did face loneliness and discrimination for her heritage, she always had Genis with her. Ion was all alone. It was no wonder he clung to Luke so desperately. That Lorelei must have been more important to him than he let on.

When they arrived at Palmacosta, they spotted some Desians still pulling into the city. They waited until the last wagon unloaded before tailing them in. Everyone, Desian and citizens alike, were gathered in the center of town where a gallows had been erected. An elder woman stood at the top with the noose tightly around her neck.

"That's Cacao!" Lloyd gasped. From his viewpoint, he saw some Desian guards push the crowd back.

"Out of the way! Lord Magnius approaches!"

On cue, an unarmored, muscular half-elf stomped up. He parted the crowd with his approach, as if he had swung his giant axe through them. Sensing disrespect in a cowering man, Magnius immediately crushed his neck. He threw the lifeless body to the ground and continued his march to the gallows.

"This woman showed great disrespect for the great Lord Magnius and refused to supply our officers!" A guard declared. His companion finished the announcement. "Even though this will exceed our designated death count, we have been granted special permission to execute this woman for her disobedience!"

"Damn it, where is the city militia?" Lloyd cursed.

"They're all out training." A man nervously answered. He immediately silenced, fearful for his own life.

"Figures, the Desians are too much of a coward to face resistance." Genis spat. "Those slimy jerks!"

Suddenly, a brunette girl pushed through the crowd. "Mother!" Luke's heart sank. Chocolat's mother was on the gallows, about to die. He glanced at Lloyd, whose face was turning red with anger. His rage was only fueled more when the Desians roughly shoved the girl over.

"Don't interfere." The Desian sneered. He looked her over. "Or we'll do our worst that'll make you beg for death!"

"General-Governor Dorr will make you pay!" Chocolat screamed. This time, Magnius smirked at her, laughing cruelly at her face before spitting at her feet.

"Hahaha! That is a good one! Dorr is powerless against me!"

"He's not!" Before anyone could process what was happening, a stone came flying from the crowd, grazing Magnius' temple. The crowd parted, revealing a young boy, even younger than Genis and Ion. He shook with fear, but stood tall and firmly. The Desian leader snarled and lunged at him.

"Demon Fang!" Before the redheaded half-elf could connect with the boy, Lloyd sent a burst of white energy at him, knocking him off his balance. Raine immediately grabbed the hand that performed the art.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "This kind rashness is what lead to what happened at Iselia!"

"It's not the same!" the brunet protested. "These people aren't protected by a non-aggression treaty. The Desians would come down here any time, just like they did now! Remember what we said at Hakonesia?"

"I'm with Lloyd!" Colette added. "I just can't let people suffer when I can do something about it!"

"The same goes for me too!" Luke said. "That girl is going to lose her mom! _Her_ world's in danger if we don't do anything!"

The crowd murmured as confused Desians exchanged glances with each other. Suddenly one spoke up. "T—That's the wanted criminal!" he stuttered.

"Yeah, you're right… He's wanted criminal #0074, Lloyd Irving!"

Though surprised by the information, a crooked smile crawled across Magnius' face.

"I see now, you're the one with that Exsphere…" He started. "Hahaha! This couldn't have worked out better! That Exsphere is my ticket to becoming the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals, and it's practically in my hands! Get them!"

Without warning, Desian spellcasters charged up their spells and sent fireballs flying at Lloyd. Like the wind, Genis sprang in front of him, deflecting the fireballs with the Forcefield technique Kratos taught him at the Seal of Fire.

"That was pathetic." Genis commented to the spellcasters. He quickly retreated to the back to begin casting his own fireballs, which quickly took out a few whipmasters.

Magnius roared in anger as his forces were being taken down. "Useless maggots!" He screamed. "Do I have to do everything myself! Take care of the woman first!"

The Desian at the gallows hastily pulled the lever that dropped the trap door underneath Cacao's feet. Colette gasped and threw her chakram on impulse. The spinning ring cut through the rope, allowing the woman to fall without being strangled. Magnius glared at the blonde girl, growling.

"How dare you!"

He raised his hand to grab her, but Kratos quickly intercepted him. With a quick swing of his sword, he sent the bulky half-elf stumbling back.

"I suggest you respect the will of the Chosen." He warned. The crowd exploded in murmurs. Raine sighed as she drew her staff, preparing to heal if necessary. She muttered something about the ordeal being insane and unnecessary, but it fell on deaf ears. Lloyd held the majority's opinion, and with Kratos supporting Colette's every decision, the teacher had no room to argue.

"This is getting out of hand." Magnius barked. "Take care of them, I'm going back to the ranch!"

"Hey, get back here!" Luke yelled. As Kratos and Lloyd attacked the two Desian covering their leader's retreating form, Luke brushed through the opening in pursuit.

"Luke, stop!" Kratos called, but it was too late. Luke was still gaining momentum.

"A little help here!" Genis cried, preventing them from going after Luke. He, Raine, Colette, and Ion had been surrounded by Desians in that short time, and although Colette and Ion were holding their own, it was clear they couldn't handle the number by themselves.

"We'll go after him later, Lloyd." Kratos grunted, pushing his Desian opponent down. "The others need our help right now." Clearly conflicted, Lloyd hesitated. After defeating the whip master he was engaging, he let out a frustrated shout. He spun around and joined Kratos in fending off the group attacking the others. With more reinforcement, Genis safely cast spells that made quick work of the Desians. It soon became clear that the Desians were losing, so the remaining forces made a quick retreat. The citizens cheered for their new heroes as they went to help Cacao and Chocolat.

"Thank you so much!" Chocolat exclaimed. She rambled on, but Lloyd couldn't pay attention to what she was saying.

"I'm going to look for Luke!" Lloyd said once he had the chance. Without waiting for protest, he ran off. The citizens quickly disbursed and resumed their daily lives. However, there was no signs of Luke, or even of a scuffle. "Damn it Luke, where are you?"

"Excuse me…" The brunet whipped around to see an older man. "But are you looking for someone?"

"Yeah, my brother Luke. He has red hair, green eyes, and is wearing white."

"Oh… My poor boy, I'm so sorry…"

The blood drained from Lloyd's face.

"The young man was chasing after Magnius, you see. But several other Desians tackled him and held him down."

This wasn't happening. He couldn't believe it.

"He kept struggling until his shirt got ripped."

How could Luke be so careless? How could he be so careless to let Luke go after Desians alone after finding about Marble?

"But then they said he was a ranch escapee, so they're taking him back to the Human Ranch."

They found his unmounted exsphere. The found the ruby like crystal that always worried Dirk. Lloyd heard the man apologize again and awkwardly leave him to his thoughts, but he ignored him. The shock still held onto him like a vice grip. The spell was only broken when someone put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"They have him." He said weakly. "They took Luke…" He looked into Kratos' red eyes pleadingly, desperate for guidance. The man had an unreadable expression on his face.

"As long as he doesn't act up, he should be fine." Kratos finally told him, his voice emotionless as always.

"What do you mean by that?" Lloyd demanded, turning all of his fury on the man. His fists were clenched, ready to rear back and hit him.

"If he's smart enough to not provoke the Desians when he's outnumbered, he will live."

All of the angry energy in the brunet drained from his body, leaving him numb and limp. He didn't even notice his friends come up. Colette and Genis had never seen Lloyd look so helpless. They exchanged worried looks, wondering if they should comfort him, and how they would.

"Lloyd…" Genis finally said. "Luke'll be alright. You got kidnapped by Desians and you broke out fine."

"Lloyd… Luke is strong like you. He'll be okay."

It took a moment for their words to sink in, but like a magic spell, Lloyd stood up straight, smile plastered on his face.

"You guys are right." He said shakily. "We're Irvings! We survived much worse. His grades were better than mine, I'm sure he'll think of something."

Ion looked at Raine. "Is he really going to be alright?" He whispered to her.

"Yes, he is a very strong willed boy." She replied. "Nothing ever deters him, as you just saw."

Ion looked at her students pensively. "He reminds me of Lorelei." He commented. "He stopped at nothing to protect me when I was in trouble, which often got _him_ in trouble."

"What was Lorelei to you?"

"He was one of my most precious friends."

"What happened to him?"

Ion looked up at the older half-elf with a sad smile and hollow voice. "Desians." Before Raine could say anything, he was already walking over to comfort and energize Lloyd.

* * *

><p>Much to Lloyd's anger, Kratos and Raine had pretty much decided they couldn't pursue Luke. No one gave them any hints where the Magnius' Human Ranch was. As much as Colette wanted to help Lloyd, there was no doubt that doing so would only cause more delays in regenerating the world, which would only cause the people to suffer longer. The only plus side was that they let Ion join until the end as an extra arm.<p>

Genis sighed as he made breakfast at the House of Salvation. The priest they agreed to escort was too busy talking to Colette and Raine, Lloyd and Kratos were training with each other, leaving only Ion in his company. He was initially excited to have the boy around. They were roughly the same age. But it was clear that he had been attached to Luke, and only spoke when spoken to now that Luke was gone. The younger Sage wondered how lonely Ion had been. He always had Lloyd, Luke, and Colette when it mattered. He was even blessed with an older sister who loved and took care of him. Ion didn't seem to have any of those, aside from that Lorelei he mentioned. He wanted to talk to the boy about it, but he was strangely evasive on the subject. Was Ion just as scared as he was? They were in the same boat, but they were still far away from each other.

Genis was about to say something, when a soldier burst in.

"W—Where's the Chosen one?" He gasped, out of breath.

"I'm here!" Colette called, running over. "What's wrong?"

"I have a message from General-Governor Dorr." He said, clearing his voice. "There's been an emergency and he requests that you temporarily delay the journey of regeneration."

"What's this about?" Kratos inquired, walking up.

"A pilgrimage tour guide was kidnapped by Desians. Her name was Chocolat. She's the daughter of the woman you saved. Dorr is gathering the forces and attack Magnius' human ranch."

"I want to save her!" Colette immediately answered. "What do you think Lloyd?"

"There's someone important to us at the ranch." Lloyd said. "This is our chance to get him back." He looked at Kratos and Raine, as if he were daring them to object.

The silver haired woman hesitated. "I do feel more at ease that you have Palmacosta's militia's support this time."

Kratos unfolded his arms, placing them on his hips. "What's the plan then?"

"Dorr wants you to meet Neil at the ranch. He'll fill you in on the details. I'll go inform Dorr that you've agreed!"

The soldier ran off without another word. Lloyd turned to the group. "So uh… Where is the ranch anyway?"

The group backtracked yet south, but headed east to the ranch. Like with the Iselia Human Ranch, the gates were daunting. Yet behind them were Luke and Chocolat. Lloyd couldn't afford to hesitate. The entrance was heavily guarded, but luckily, Neil had found a hiding spot in the bushes close by. He beckoned them over with a hushed voice.

"We heard about Chocolat." Lloyd began. "And we want to save my brother Luke."

The man swallowed a lump in his throat. "About that… It's best if you just leave this area now."

"But what about Luke and Chocolat?" Colette gasped. He stared at the ground guilty.

"Yeah, we're going to have the Palmacosta militia help us and—"

"They're not."

"So it was a trap?" Kratos surmised. "It was rather suspicious that the Desians even knew your forces were away when they attacked. It was even more so that all of the soldiers were gone for training at the same time."

"There's also the fact that they never struck back at the city for forming a militia." Raine added. "There is no reason to ignore budding resistance unless there is an assurance they will never become a threat, or are even beneficial…"

Neil affirmed guiltily. "You two are both correct. Magnius and Dorr are working together to trap the Chosen."

"Why would he even do that?" Genis demanded. "Colette is the hope of the people!"

"I don't know." Neil admitted. "Even when his wife Clara was lost to the Desians, he never stopped fighting or caring for the people of his city. Whatever the case is, it's not safe for the Chosen here. Please, you have to leave and regenerate the world! I promise I will get Luke and Chocolat out safely, so please!"

"We need to regenerate the world so the Desians will be sealed away." Kratos said. "Let's do as he says."

"I'm sorry, but I can't just ignore this." Colette said. "Luke is my friend, and I don't want to take away Chocolat's hope just when she began to believe in Martel again. I can't sacrifice anyone to regenerate the world. They all deserve to live in peace!"

Raine gave her a pained look, and sighed. "I understand, Colette. If it's what you think is right, we can't stop you." She then turned to Lloyd. "Is that alright with you?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure?" Neil asked, unsure of how to feel about Colette's decision.

"It's what Colette wants." Genis shrugged.

"Now there's two choices that we can make right now." Raine began. "We can infiltrate the ranch right now and rescue the captives. If Dorr is working with the Desians, Palmacosta isn't safe. We can also go confront Dorr and see what his true motives are. If anything, we can get some information on the ranch out of him."

"It would be best we do the latter." Kratos advised. "He probably knows the layout of the ranch, and where other prisoners will be."

"Alright, then let's go see Dorr." Lloyd said. "I want to save Luke, and everyone, but you're right. We might have to do less fighting if we can get Dorr on our side."

Colette gently touched Lloyd's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "He'll protect everyone." She said reassuringly. "He won't let us down." Lloyd couldn't help but give her a smile.

"Yeah," Genis added. "He can be as bad as you with remembering dates and homework, but he's as reliable as you are for other things."

"That's harsh." Lloyd cringed at the insult playfully. "But I hope you're right."

"This is crazy." Neil sighed, rubbing his temples. "But there's no stopping you, is there?"

"Not a chance." Lloyd answered with a grin.

"You're good people. Crazy, but good. I'll stay here then. I'll watch for Desian activity around the gate."

"We won't take long." Raine said. "Thank you for your help."

Re-energized, the group backtracked to Palmacosta. The streets were eerily quiet, most likely from the recent Desian raid that took Chocolat. People stared from the windows and quickly retreated when their gaze was returned.

"They're still spooked from that last raid." Ion commented.

"Then let's quickly make our way to the Governor-General." Kratos said.

Unobstructed, they headed to Dorr's office. Strangely, no one was in.

"Where is everyone?" Lloyd questioned aloud.

"I hear someone downstairs." Colette said. The brunet blinked at her in surprise.

"Really? I don't even hear any crickets."

"They must be in the basement." Kratos said, averting attention from the Chosen. "Let's check it out."

Lloyd nodded and slowly made his way down the unguarded stairwell. The further down he went, the clearer the voices became. It soon became clear that the Governor General was discussing something, and as soon as Magnius' name popped up, Lloyd knew Neil was right. Dorr was working with the Desians. They quickly hid behind some crates when the Desian turned to leave.

"Father…" His daughter Kilia said with a sad voice.

"We only have to wait a little longer." Dorr's voice was also filled with pain. "Just a little longer until your Mother is okay again. We just need a little more gald. Maybe if I raise the prices for the pilgrimages and…"

"What's going on here?" Lloyd suddenly shouted, jumping out from his hiding spot. The Governor General whipped around and paled at the sight before him. "Weren't expecting us, were you?"

"What have you done with Neil?" He stammered.

"He's the one who sent us here." Genis answered smugly. "He said you're working with the Desians, and we just got our proof."

"That traitor…"

"He said you lost your wife to the Desians." Kratos said. "But in what way, I wonder?"

"If she's a hostage, we should all go free everyone together!" Colette exclaimed.

Dorr scoffed at the Chosen's offer. "It's worse than that. You want to know? Then fine." He ripped away the curtains from a cell, revealing a twisted monster. Genis and Lloyd froze. Even Kratos appeared unnerved.

"She's just like Marble…" Genis whimpered.

"This is what happens when you defy the Desians." Dorr hissed. "My foolish father opposed them, and he died for it. To rub salt in the wound, they also planted the demon seed in my wife! But she's innocent. They know that. That's why they're letting me cooperate with them. If I do, they'll cure her."

"But you're letting them do the same thing to all the people in the city!" Genis angrily cried. "All of them are losing their families to the Desians too!"

"We were all doomed from the start."

"But we have hope! Colette will seal the Desians away. That's what the Journey of Regeneration is all about."

"Assuming it won't end in failure again." Dorr sneered. "We can't all rely that the Chosen will save us all."

"You may be right." Ion suddenly spoke up. "We should all control our own destinies by the actions we take. That's why I… No, that's why we stand up against the Desians!" Lloyd gave him an approving grin.

"You don't know what you're talking about, boy!" Dorr growled. "Your justice doesn't work in real life!"

Something in Lloyd snapped. "Justice? You think this is about justice? I don't even like that word! 'Justice' is an excuse to not think about what's wrong with today!"

"Ugh, this has gone on long enough!"

Before anyone could react, Kilia pulled out a knife and plunged it into her father's back. She cackled as she pulled out the weapon, blood spraying all over her face and dress.

"Wha—But he's your father, why are you—!" Genis gasped.

"Because she's not his daughter." Ion interrupted. "She's a half-elf."

"Hmph, you're stronger than you look!" Kilia smirked. With a twisted laugh, her body began to stretch and discolor. "Ah, much better! I am a servant of Pronyma, the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals, the master of all the Desians. I'm just here to watch Magnius' new human cultivation technique. I am loyal to her, even if it means posing as a daughter to this inferior human and fool of a father!"

"You're disgusting!" Genis spat.

"Me disgusting? He's the disgusting one! He didn't even realize his own daughter was dead because he was too focused on betraying his own kind for his wife! In the end, the Desians are the ones who are right, who, by the way, can't be saved because the medicine to 'save' her doesn't exist!"

"Enough!" Lloyd shouted. "We're not going to let you Desians hurt any more people!" He drew his swords and charged.

* * *

><p>Luke idled in a solitary cell with a single Whip master as his guard<p>

"Ugh, I can't stand to look at this one's exsphere."

Luke glared at the Desian.

"I could say the same about your face." He spat, but was immediately backhanded by a strong arm.

"Watch your mouth, maggot." Magnius sneered. "I'd teach you myself, but lucky for you, you have an owner who called and wanted you back."

The scarred redhead stepped aside, revealing a white haired man. He was well groomed compared to Magnius, wearing a crisp uniform that indicated high power. His smile was cruel, but his eyes frightened Luke the most. His eyes were pitch black and red, giving him the appearance of a demon. He wasn't sure why, but those eyes struck terror and familiarity in Luke's heart. He knew he never met him, but he felt he had always known those eyes.

"He's not exactly Angelus, but an experiment's an experiment." The man sighed. Luke shuddered. "Ah, it appears this one knows his place. Even after all these years, some things last." He walked over and grabbed Luke by the chin, forcing him to stare into those eyes. "Bright green eyes and flaming red hair. This one is indeed mine."

Luke jerked away, trying to put as much distance between him and this man.

"G—Get away from me, you creep!"

"I suppose he was much too young to remember my name." The man scoffed. "Very well, I'll teach you again, and you better remember it this time. I am your master, Lord Kvar. And you, are one of my experiments."

* * *

><p>If you saw this coming, let's talk and I'll see how predictable my plans are.<p>

I'm also sorry about the long wait, this part really dragged on longer than I intended to. I might just skip the fight scene next time because that can just take out a huge chunk of valuable development. (5/1/12)


	7. Senza

I know it's been a while, it's just writing this part has been a pain.

Senza - without

* * *

><p>The battle with Kilia ended just as quickly as it started. Though she was a tough foe, she was outnumbered six to one. In a last minute resort, she attempted to have the mutilated Claire attack but even in her monstrous state, she seemed to know who the true enemy was and finished Kilia off. She lumbered off at the sound of Colette's voice.<p>

"K—Kilia…" Dorr groaned. "Is she really..?"

Kratos watched Lloyd reassure the man his daughter was safe. It was painful to watch him lie and give hope to a dying man, but knew it was for the best. He also knew Raine's attempt to heal him would be futile; he had already lost a significant amount of blood during the scuffle. He had seen so much death that it hadn't really fazed him in the least. His eyes lazily scanned the room. Colette and Genis were in shock. Lloyd still held onto hope. Raine was despairing her healing wasn't doing anything. And Ion…

Curiously, Ion was just as stone faced as he was with only a bit of sadness evident in the way his mouth creased and eyebrows furrowed. The boy seemed to be used to death as well. Kratos pitied him but at the same time was suspicious. He recalled a story someone he formerly considered his best friend told him about a young boy who was very kind but resigned to fate. Every smile he put on was bitter sweet and though he cared for others and motivated them, he had no words when death arrived early. For some reason, Ion reminded him of the story.

"3341." Lloyd breathed heavily, breaking Kratos from his thoughts. "That's the code we need to save Luke and Chocolat and the others."

"We need to make haste and arrive before any Desians learn that Dorr is dead." Kratos said grimly.

Lloyd glared at the man for his lack of compassion, but the protest died in his throat. The Desians had taken advantage of Dorr's every weakness, even the ones the man never knew he had. He thought about how they replaced his daughter and briefly wondered if he would be able to tell the difference between Luke and an imposter. He shook the thought from his head. He wouldn't let go of his ideals like Dorr had.

"That's cold," He finally said. "But you're right. Luke and Chocolat and the others are counting on us. And I can't wait to put my fist in Magnius' face."

He stalked up the stairs angrily as Raine and Kratos exchanged looks.

"Hey sis…" Genis said. "Is he going to be okay?"

"As long as he doesn't let himself get consumed by hate, he should be fine." Kratos offered. This seemed to calm both Genis and Colette. Neither could imagine Lloyd truly hating anyone.

At Lloyd's insistence, they departed quickly and quietly. Neil greeted them, reading the news from their faces.

"I'm only happy he could finally find rest." The man said before they could report anything.

"In the end, he was a good man." Colette said. "He wants us to save everyone."

Neil closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "He was." He finally agreed. "Please, allow me to accompany you so the Governor-General's last wish may be granted."

Lloyd entered the door code Dorr provided him before his demise and sighed in relief when the doors opened with no problem. They quickly shuffled in, discovering a new station to change the function of the Sorcerer's Ring. After a quick lesson, the group discovered a group of prisoners. Luckily, none of them seemed to have had exspheres implanted on their bodies.

"I don't see Luke or Chocolat with them." Lloyd mumbled impatiently as all the prisoners gathered outside of their cells.

"Maginus must have them somewhere else." Raine said in an attempt to placate her student. In a lower voice, she said, "They are special cases."

"So, what now?" Genis asked. "Should we split up so some of us can go find Luke and Chocolat while the others take these people back to Palmacosta?"

"That won't be necessary." Neil replied. "I'll stay with them. The Palmacosta army will be coming in to back us up. Together, we'll free the rest of the people here and take them back safely." He looked at Lloyd. "You have more pressing matters."

The brunet nodded solemnly, grateful for the man's understanding. A stray boy seemed to have picked up that he was the leader and approached him.

"Thanks for saving me mister." He said, bringing a smile to Lloyd's face.

"Ah, it was nothing." Lloyd shrugged sheepishly. "You should hurry up and catch up with the others."

"I will, but you should take this." The boy handed him a blue card. He could see the small wires that ran through its reflective surface. "The Desians were treating it like it was really important. Maybe it can help you!"

"Thanks kid!"

The child grinned and ran off to join Neil, who had slowed his pace for him.

"It must be a key for something, or part of one." Ion observed. "There are probably more like it."

Ion's predictions rang true as they quickly repossessed a second, purple card from the next Desian they saw. Colette soon found a third red card on a ledge she reached when she unfurled her wings.

"There was a machine that had slots matching those colors near the entrance." Raine said. "They must be keys for that."

"Right by the one that changed the Sorcerer's Ring into a radar!" Genis exclaimed.

"It might even be a trap." Kratos warned.

"You already said that about this entire thing." Lloyd growled in frustration. He quickly muttered an apology when he saw the look on the man's face.

"I understand that you're going through an ordeal, but you need to be more patient and not rush into things."

"I know! It's just…"

"It'll be okay Lloyd." Colette intervened. "We'll get through this."

Lloyd stared at Colette, and sighed in defeat.

"You always know what to say Colette."

"We should get going." Kratos coughed. "The longer we wait, the more time the Desians know we have the keys."

* * *

><p>They found Chocolat after activating the transport with the three card keys.<p>

"Do you know where Luke is?" Lloyd immediately interrogated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even know he was here." The brunette answered, shaking her head. "They've been keeping me separate from everyone else."

"The Palmacosta Militia must have arrived by now." Raine said. "If Luke is with the other prisoners, we should let Neil take care of him." She watched Lloyd's face distort as he held back his protest.

"Alright, I'll trust Neil to save Luke if he's with the others." He finally said. "But there's still a chance he's up ahead."

"If it's the Assistant General-Governor Neil, you can have nothing to worry about." Chocolat offered. "If Dorr trusts him to watch over us in his place, then we have nothing to worry about."

Lloyd opened his mouth, but Kratos interrupted. "We still have a job to do." The man coughed. "Namely Magnius."

"That's right." Raine added, eyes darting from Kratos to Lloyd. "He might try something to prevent the prisoners from escaping safely." She studied his reaction carefully. His shoulders tensed and his grip on his swords tightened.

"Yeah." He finally said. "We can't let him hurt anymore people."

"Let me help!" Chocolat pleaded. "He's probably in the room with the weird lights and magic looking things. There's a platform in the back that'll take you there. I can lead you there. It's the least I can do to repay you guys for saving my mother and me."

"You're very brave." Colette praised, causing the brunette girl to blush. "We'd be honored if you'd help us."

"The honor is mine, Chosen One!"

With that, the girl turned around and carefully stepped over the fallen Desians. As she led them through the corridors, Ion lagged to the back where Kratos and Raine were.

"I don't think Luke is in this facility." He voiced quietly.

"What makes you think that?" Raine asked.

The boy's green eyes darted at Chocolat, then back to the two adults. "I was wondering why she's here and not with the others. Why her? Why isn't she in prisoner clothes like the others?"

"That is a valid concern, but how is that related?" Kratos argued.

"Magnius knows she and Luke know the Chosen. If the Desians want to stall the Journey of Regeneration and they have two people she personally knows…"

"…Then they wouldn't be so careless as to leave them both where Colette has the support of a city militia." Raine finished.

"I'm impressed by your deduction." Kratos voiced, though his eyes gave away his suspicion.

"I had a friend in a militia. He was very brilliant, if a little shrewd."

"This elevator is the one that leads up to that room I was talking about." Chocolat announced before the two adults could interrogate Ion any further. "I hope it's the control room you're looking for."

"There's only one way to find out." Lloyd said firmly. "Guys, get ready."

The room had been filled with strange gadgets just as Chocolat described. However, there was one new detail even she was unaware of. Just as they stepped from the elevator, Desians surrounded them from all sides. Magnius was in the far back, arms crossed.

"Did you vermin honestly think I'd just let you waltz up here safely?" he sneered. "This is the end of the line for you, forsaken Chosen!"

Kratos' brow furrowed. The situation could easily be reversed and turned to their favor, but Magnius' words were unsettling. It did however explain the aggression against the Chosen, and the decision to take Luke. Regardless of what happened, Magnius was not going to come out unscathed.

However, he decided to watch the scene unfold as Magnius turned the projector on. The Iselians were shocked that the Desian had known of Neil's plan and quickly countered with a trap, though Ion only narrowed his eyes like he had. There was much more anger in his eyes that a boy his age couldn't possibly hide behind all of that calm. He definitely had to watch Ion now.

"It's what you vermin get for trying to struggle against us." Magnius gloated, diverting Kratos' attention. "It's futile to escape!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Lloyd roared. "We're going to save them right after we make sure you'll never hurt them again!"

"Just like you 'saved' everyone when you caused that little mess in Iselia?" the half-elf sneered. Lloyd had been taken aback by the mention of his hometown, the pain of causing the devastation still fresh in his heart and conscious. "I'm in a good mood. I'm going to recreate a live diorama of that incident right on this screen! Watch those little vermin fall victim one by one as I pull out their Exspheres and turn them into the monsters they are!"

"No, don't!" Genis and Lloyd cried, both of their faces ashen. The younger of the two nearly moved to charge at Magnius, only for Ion to grab his hand with a pained look.

"Oh don't play the good guy here. We all know you went all out on that little old lady when she turned into a monster. You didn't even stop when she until she was dead! What was her name? Oh that's right, Marble!"

It was Chocolat's turn to pale, her jaw going slack as she stared at Lloyd and Genis with shock and disgust. Magnius grinned wolfishly at her, enjoying the turmoil the three shared.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_ little Chocolat, Marble was your dear old Granny, wasn't she? I didn't know _you_ didn't know she was sent to Iselia and was killed by Lloyd here!"

"Chocolat, don't listen to him!" Genis pleaded, struggling in Ion's grip. "Lloyd was trying to save her from the Desians!"

"He still killed her." Magnius quipped.

Still in shock, Chocolat began to back away from the group, shaking her head. The Desians in the flank quickly seized her arms, though she did not struggle.

"Leave her alone!" Lloyd growled. Kratos laid a firm hand on his shoulder, grounding him to his spot.

"No, _you_ leave me alone!" Chocolat cried. "You murdered my grandma, I'd die before I let the likes of you save me!"

"Don't worry, you will." Magnius cut in. "Take her away!"

The two guard Desians quickly pulled the brunette into the transport, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Ion released Genis and glared at the redheaded Desian leader.

"What are you going to do to her?" He demanded. "And what have you done with Luke?"

"Soon to be dead vermin don't need to know that." With a nod to his soldiers, the remaining circle of Desians charged in. In response, Colette, Lloyd, Ion, and Kratos formed their own ring around Raine and Genis, shielding them as they began to cast their spells. The four pushed the lines back, aided by the Genis' fireballs and Raine's support. As the opponent number dwindled, Colette fell back and began to use her angel spells, making the battle much quicker. With the last Desian fallen and Colette somehow pulling some Hakonesia passes from them, all six of the Chosen's party looked up at Magnius, challenging him. The half-elf growled ferociously at them and leaped from his platform.

"Fine, I'll do you the honor of killing you myself!" He roared. "To the Chosen, the filthy vermins, and the fools who can't even let go of their inferior blood!"

He drew his axe as he descended and used gravity to aid his swing downward. Another Desian Whip Master and Bowman joined him from the side, quickly targeting the Sages. Ion, Colette, and Lloyd quickly intercepted them as Kratos rushed to stall Magnius from approaching them. It was clear everyone had been tired from the previous round. Even Kratos had difficulty keeping Magnius at bay. Colette moved to cover for Ion, whose stamina was at its limits. Lloyd could see the boy panting from the corner of his eye and continued to attack the Whip Master. The brunet quickly executed a combo and finished with Beast, knocking the Desian over. He took advantage of the moment and finished him off and rushed to help Colette with the Bowman. The two teens dodged and relentlessly attacked, only moving away to allow Genis' spells to hit their intended target. Meanwhile, Raine was constantly healing Kratos and sharpening his attacks as he pushed Magnius back. A final Ring Whirlwind from Colette finished off the Desian guard, allowing her and Lloyd to join Kratos, while Ion remained with Raine and Genis in case any other Desians decided to show up and disrupt their casting.

"Give it up Magnius, you have no chance!" Lloyd said as he parried a blow.

"I refuse to lose to you worthless maggots!"

Using the blunt of his axe, the half-elf swung his weapon at Lloyd, knocking him into Colette. He took advantage of the moment and charged at Ion, easily knocking the frail boy aside and attempted to bring his blade down on Genis. The white haired boy easily canceled his spell and put up a Force Field just before the heavy weapon made contact. Ion swept Magnius off his feet and quickly herded Genis and Raine away.

"Genis, Professor!" Colette gasped. "Are you two okay?"

"Don't worry about us Colette." Raine said, trying to soothe her student. "Just focus on fighting."

"Lloyd, get ready." Kratos signaled as soon as the brunet was back on his feet.

"Right!" Lloyd confirmed. "Sonic Thrust!"

He executed the attack on Magnius just as he began his pursuit of the Sages, followed up by another Sonic Thrust from the older mercenary. The two quickly turned back to face the half-elf.

"Cross Thrust!"

They cut across the Desian in a rush of tearing energy. Magnius fell from the impact and after a moment of stillness, found that he could not return to his feet.

"I… am a superior half-elf…!" Magnius grunted. "How could…I lose…"

Kratos tilted his head upward, regarding him with coldness. "There was no way you could have won, Magnius. Cruxis has accepted Colette as the Chosen."

Those words stunned the Desian commander. "You can't mean…"

"Colette's going to regenerate the world!" Lloyd declared with pride. "We're not going to let you or any other Desian hurt any more people."

The half-elf muttered his disbelief, but at that point, Lloyd had stopped paying attention. Raine had turned the console on and brought up all the surveillance projections. To their relief, Neil and the prisoners were safe, but blocked by the heavy doors. Raine pressed a button on the console, which opened the gates. As soon as she was assured they were gone, she began to browse through, pausing at one camera which revealed the two Desians leading Chocolat away to a different exit.

"I'm sorry Lloyd, I can't find Luke anywhere." She finally said.

"They must have already taken him to a different Human Ranch." Kratos commented.

"There's one in the Asgard region." Ion added.

Lloyd nodded, staring at the projector with narrowed eyes. "Then that's where we're going next."

"We still have unfinished business here." Kratos pointed out, frowning. "The prisoners with Exspheres don't have Key Crests. It's only a matter of time before they go out of control, or worse, they'll try to remove it themselves."

"And become a monster like what happened to Marble…" Genis finished sadly. He rubbed his own Exsphere and Key Crest.

"We can't let that happen." Lloyd finally conceded. "I'll contact Dad. He can make Key Crests and even accessories to help control their Exspheres if he can't take it off."

"We can finalize those plans later, right now I'm going to set this place to self-destruct." Raine interrupted.

"Are you crazy!?" Genis stuttered, staring at his sister in shock."

"No Genis, I'm not. This is our chance to strike a major blow at the Desians. And this way, no one will rise up in this region and resume what Magnius was doing."

She gave her brother a hard pressed look and he sighed. "You're right, Sis. Do it."

With his support, Raine typed in controls and faced the party. "We have ten minutes. We need to hurry and evacuate."

With the threat of the great explosion, no one argued and rushed. Even Ion had been fueled by extra adrenaline. Lloyd could hear the blood pounding in his own ears, and couldn't imagine what it was like for the younger boy. Near the entrance, they met with Neil and quickly rushed him out as soon as he told them the prisoners were moved to Palmacosta. They didn't stop until the Human Ranch was in flames behind them. Once the relief caught up with them, they stopped for a breath.

"Safe!" Lloyd gasped, falling to his knees.

"Is everyone alright?" Colette asked around.

"Fine. Don't. Worry." Ion wheezed. Noishe approached from his hiding place behind a tree and whimpered. Lloyd crawled over to him, stroking his fur and calming the Protozoan.

Neil fidgeted and waited for everyone to recover before asking, "What about Chocolat? And Luke?"

"Chocolat was being taken somewhere, and we couldn't find Luke either." Raine answered. "I think they're both being transported somewhere, maybe even to the same place."

"If neither acts up, they can still be rescued." Kratos added, watching Lloyd's reaction from the corner of his eye. He saw determination flash on his face. He silently approved at the decision to remain quiet. He let the Iselians explain Exspheres and Key Crest to Dorr's former assistant, who eagerly took any information and safely stored it away. He was a good man, Kratos decided. There were few in high power who were concerned with the wellbeing of the citizens, let alone strangers. Once they had finished their business, Neil bid them farewell and rushed back to his city to request Dirk's work.

"Alright, let's go to Asgard." Lloyd said. He stood up and tried to head north, but Raine quickly grabbed his hand.

"Lloyd, did you forget about getting Spiritua's Statue so we can look at the Book of Regeneration?" She asked in a dangerous voice. He gulped.

"But… Luke!"

"The Journey of Regeneration takes priority." Kratos cut in. "There's a high chance the Desians are using Luke to stall the Chosen from completing her journey. Remember, when the Chosen regenerates the world, the Desians are sealed away. The sooner they are sealed away, the more people you save."

Lloyd glared at the older man, gritting his teeth. Colette gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"Lloyd, they're right." She said. "I want to save Luke too, but there are so many other people counting on me. I'm sorry…"

"Colette, I…" He began, and deflated. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, I should. Luke… Luke would hate me if I put him before everyone else like that." He closed his eyes, recalling the last time he had done that. Some monsters attacked the school during recess and Luke had twisted his ankle. Lloyd had immediately rushed him out of harm's way, ignoring everyone else. Raine had quickly stepped in to drive the monsters away before anyone was hurt, but the look of guilt and self-loathing on his brother's face had haunted him for weeks.

"Don't worry Lloyd." Ion said comfortingly. "If the opportunity comes up, we can save him. Together."

"You're right. I'm sorry you guys, for being so selfish. Geez, now I'm starting to sound like Colette."

The blonde at his side giggled. "I'm sorry."

"See what I mean?"

They laughed off their momentary sorrow as Kratos and Raine checked their supplies and let Genis and Ion rest some more. They quietly discussed the route, constantly glancing back at the teens. Raine knew more sorrow awaited them further in their journey. Would they be okay at the end of it all? There was no doubt they would succeed, she knew the price would shake them. She only hoped they would recover in time.

* * *

><p>When Luke awoke, everything was sore. He had been dragged around, knocked out several times, and stuffed in a cramped cage during transport. When his vision finally returned, he found himself in a cold cell. Great, they even stripped him as he was now sporting prisoner clothes. He curled up on himself, rubbing his arms for warmth. Suddenly, he heard footsteps growing louder and louder.<p>

"Well, well, well, looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake."

Kvar. Luke shuddered and refused to look at him.

"Come now, L03-14. That's no way to greet your master."

"You're not my master." Luke growled.

"Hm, a little too willful. But this is better for my purposes, if not a little fun."

The redhead turned to glare at Kvar's general direction, only to find the half-elf already wandering off.

"Get the labs ready. Pull up the files for L03 and add it to Angelus. We have some experimenting to do."

* * *

><p>The hardest part was the action. I loooooooove my dialog. Sorry this part is so short in comparison to the others, along with the long release time. I really got bummed out by a lot of things recently, along with the fact that I really want to write the next part instead of this part, if that makes any sense. The next part might take a while to get up too, since I decided to put everything on rotation. So you know, the current rotation is Resound, then Defying Gravity, From the Heavens, and finally The Five Factors. If I try to do a new multi-chaptered story, which I'll try not to, it'll go into the queue after The Five Factors.<p>

Fun tidbit: Pit shares the same VA as Mithos in Japanese. I couldn't stop laughing at the ToS OVA because of it, and the fact that Martel really looks like Palutena. Seriously, look her up and compare them. (12/1/12)


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